


Danganronpa: The American Dream

by DJ_Broadway_127



Category: Danganronpa, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, Super Dangan Ronpa 2, Super Dangan Ronpa 2.5
Genre: America, Confrontations, Despair, Douche Canoe, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Fan Dangan Ronpa, Fear, Gun Violence, Hope, Hope's Peak Academy, Investigations, LGBT, M/M, Murder Mystery, New story, Nothing From Original, Other, Reader-Interactive, Teenage Execution, The Killing Game, Throwing Shade, Unpredictability, Unresolved Emotional Tension, darker plot, hostage, original character deaths
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2018-11-30 00:46:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 13
Words: 87,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11452497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DJ_Broadway_127/pseuds/DJ_Broadway_127
Summary: Hope's Peak Academy heralds the best of the best students from across the nation to gather at one place to hone and enhance their specific talents, igniting the hope of society to see a better and brighter tomorrow behind the smiles and eyes of those chosen to attend. The America Chapter of the academy has just begun to recruit and Benjamin Brown has been chosen as the Senior Class' Ultimate Lucky Student, randomly drawn from a nationwide lottery. To be chosen to attend a prestigious school, he has to be lucky right? Well he thought, until his world was turned upside down as soon as he entered the school. The school where a single bad decision can get you killed, robbing you of the hope that can quell the hunger of despair.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Dangan Ronpa: Forever Despair](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1920717) by [Kitt_Monroe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kitt_Monroe/pseuds/Kitt_Monroe). 



> I absolutely DO NOT own anything Danganronpa, the rights and the thanks go to Kazutaka Kodaka and Spike Chunsoft. However, I do own every character except for one, which you will see eventually. I own all of the students basically. I hope you enjoy and I do take feedback, so comment to your hearts content!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope's Peak Academy heralds the best of the best students from across the nation to gather at one place to hone and enhance their specific talents, igniting the hope of society to see a better and brighter tomorrow behind the smiles and eyes of those chosen to attend. The America Chapter of the academy has just begun to recruit and Benjamin Brown has been chosen as the Senior Class' Ultimate Lucky Student, randomly drawn from a nationwide lottery. To be chosen to attend a prestigious school, he has to be lucky right? Well he thought, until his world was turned upside down as soon as he entered the school. The school where a single bad decision can get you killed, robbing you of the hope that can quell the hunger of despair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I absolutely DO NOT own anything Danganronpa, the rights and the thanks go to Kazutaka Kodaka and Spike Chunsoft. However, I do own every character except for one, which you will see eventually. I own all of the students basically. I hope you enjoy and I do take feedback, so comment to your hearts content!

I rub the sleepiness from my eyes as I stretch my arms wide, waking up from my slumber. From the rays of sunshine piercing my face through my windows, I can tell that I slept in again, probably past noon this time. It's summer vacation, so I don't really care. It's not like I have anything to do anyways. I'd rather stay in my cocoon of blankets and soak up my vacation of solitude. For a seventeen year old, my lack of social interaction baffles me. I mean, I have a few school friends, but anyone that I would miss if we stopped talking? Negative. 

I remove the covers off of my body and leave my bed, rubbing my hair covered torso out of pure habit. When I reach the bathroom, I first look at myself in the mirror, seeing if I can remove my imperfections today, zits, stray beard hairs, crust around my eyes, you name it. But of course, I still look basic. Basic Ben, yeah that has a ring to it. Holding my piss in for my whole beauty routine, I finally relieve myself and oh man, if that isn't the best feeling in the world! It feels like a hundred pound bricks are lifted off of your bladder. Pure. Nirvana. I move back to my porcelain sink and grab my blue and white toothbrush, readying to brush my teeth to my satisfaction. I apply my Colgate Total toothpaste and scrub my pearly whites, sometimes even, until my gums bleed. No pain, no gain right? I have to have  _something_  appealing on my face. I would say my beard, but it has this one bald patch that just won't grow. Why me?

When I finish brushing, I finely tune my ears to any noise downstairs to see if anyone is home and when I hear voices of my parents and sister, I get my answer. I pick up my grey sweatpants and a white T-shirt, put them on, and head for the door to meet my family in, what I'm guessing, the Kitchen. Before I head out the door, I check my hair in my dresser mirror to see if I look decent at least, and after combing my fingers through it a couple of times, I consider it acceptable. When I open my door, the whole house falls silent. Not even my dog, Balto (named after the movie of course), came upstairs to greet me. Something's up, I just know it. I list off the things in my head, wondering why they would go mute when specifically  _I_ open the door. It's not my birthday, that's in January, I didn't do anything that would result in me going to jail, I barely leave the house, so what's going on?!

When I reach the stairs, I cross the corner that leads to the dining room, and I'm met with my mom, my dad, and my sister, Margaret all sitting at the table looking at me with anxiousness in their eyes, even Balto was sitting at attention next to my sister's feet.

"Uh, what's going on?" I ask them, my own anxiety rising inside of me. "Am I in trouble or...?"

And to my question, they all just look at the table, more specifically at a letter. When I move forward more, I realize why they're all acting this way. The letter's from Hope's Peak Academy. And it's addressed to me. 

"Oh crap." 

That's all I can say as I raise the envelope to my face. I scan it with my eyes, seeing if they're just pulling a sick prank on me. Everyone in America knows how much of a big deal it is to be chosen to go here! But, if this is real, why me? I can't wait anymore, I tear the letter open, wanting to hurry and read what's inside. After a close millisecond, the letter is free and I begin to read it. 

**_Dear Mr. Benjamin Brown,_ **

**_Congratulations! Through our nationwide lottery, you have been chosen to attend the new USA Chapter of Hope's Peak Academy as our senior class Ultimate Lucky Student! If you choose to attend, you will be joined by some of the best students in the country, they themselves being the best at what they do also known as Ultimates. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so once you make your decision, it will be final, so I highly suggest you accept our offer. What does the Ultimate status give to you? You will have doors opened for you that will lead to success and accomplishment no one else would have offered to them. These Ultimate students are America's future leaders, the select batch of talented individuals the American people will look up to, the American youth will aspire to become when they mature, and most importantly, you will be the symbols of Hope for a brighter and peaceful tomorrow. With that being said, I do hope you accept our offer and join us for the Fall Semester. Inside this envelope, there is a inquiry asking you to answer our invitation, simply check the box for YES or NO. If you accept, pack up you clothes and the things most important to you since we have a dormitory where our students will reside for their academic school year. I shall wait your response with baited breath!_ **

**_Your Head Master_ **

**_P.S., If you choose to accept, offer this letter to the conductor of a train that will arrive at your city location on the 30th of August and you'll be granted access immediately! You will also be able to  bring this to the ticket booth and you'll get a free ticket on the train. Also, don't talk or interact with the other students on your train, we want you all to have a fresh view of each other when you reach your new home!_ **

 

No. Fucking. Way!

"What?! What does it say?!", my mom yells, wanting me to hurry up and tell them what's inside. But all I could do is look at them with eyes widened and filled with shock. This can't be real. Like I know its real, but this can't be real. Out of the millions of students who could've been chosen, I was?! 

"Benjamin Robert Brown, if you don't tell us what's on that paper, I'm going to have a stroke, do you understand?!", my dad exclaims, even more anxious than my mother was. With that, I give Margaret the letter, and I watch as my parents gather around her to read the letter. I know when they're finished because their eyes widen into the size of fine china.

"Oh my god. Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" my mom cheers as she comes over to me and pulls me into a tight hug. A tight, excruciatingly painful hug. A this-is-the-last-time-I'm-ever-gonna-see-you kind of hug. I know she cant help it, so when I can feel her tears soak my T-shirt, despite how knowingly uncomfortable it makes me, I hug her back, trying to hold back my own tears. My dad and Margaret come over shortly afterwords and make it into a huge, family group hug. Even Balto is jumping and prancing in joy. And that's when it hits me; I'm going to Hope's Peak Academy! I'm going to  _the_ _most_ prestigious school in America, it's more prestigious than the freaking Illuminati for Christ's sake! It just finished construction, so my class will be the first graduating Seniors. Students that are invited there are the best at what they do and when I mean the best, I mean THE BEST! In the Japan Chapter, those who graduate from Hope's Peak go on to lead very successful lives and really make an impact in society. Just to be even the Ultimate Lucky Student is an honor!

"Benji, what are you doing?!" Margaret asks me. "We have to get your things ready!"

"Um, the train to Hope's Peak comes here at the end of August. I don't know why you're rushing me." I tell her, knowing that her over enthusiasm can get the better of her at times. But, if I can tell from the excited banging up the stairs and the banging of my door, she didn't listen, which means that my room is hers to do with it as she pleases. I've already accepted it.

"Oh, I have to tell your old school that you'll no longer be attending!" Dad says as she whips out her cell phone and speed dialed the school before heading off into the living room. Leaving me alone with Mom. I can literally see the inspirational speech leaking from her very pores, so I brace myself as I hear it. It might be the last time for a while after all. She pulls up a chair at the dining room next to her and I take it.

"Ben, listen. I don't know how you're feeling right now, and I know you don't like people touching you or anything, but thank you for giving us that at least. Especially me. I could tell it was hard for you. I'm gonna get this out of the way before it gets any closer to the time you'll leave. I'd rather not cry too much you know?" she says as she forces a laugh, obviously trying to hide the sadness in her voice.

"I want you to remember this: life is too short to be alone through all of it. I know you'll never have the easiest time making friends, but I know that once you put your mind to something, you can accomplish anything Ben, you understand that?" Mom asks me, wanting me to acknowledge her. I nod my head in understanding and I let her continue.

"I know you've closed yourself off from us, you have ever since you were little, but when you get there. Please do this one thing for me: let people in. You deserve to have happiness and if I, or your dad, or your sister can't give you that, than you go look for it. I know you love us, and we love you right back, but I know that you'll come out of Hope's Peak a better man than you can here and for that, I couldn't be more grateful for them to give that to you. You have to take care of each other when you get there, those kids will be in the same situation as you. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for."

And with that, she pulled me into a one-armed hug and left with wet eyes. I wish I can tell her how sorry I am. I wish I can tell her so much, but I can't. "I'm stronger than I give myself credit for"? What does she see in me that I don't see in myself? What I do know is that Mom gave me a lot to think about. Will I even be able to know how to let someone in? I've pushed people away for  _years,_ is there even any fight left in me? Well, for Mom, I have to try. I've made her feel like complete shit, like its her fault that I'm this way. I owe her an explanation, but I can't right now. Not yet. When I get out of Hope's Peak, that's when I tell her, Dad, Margaret, the ones I hold dear to my heart, what happened. They deserve to know.

 

 

 

Well, today's the day. It's August 30th, the day I leave my family behind for my future. I know I'll be back when I graduate, but I can't help but get this tight feeling in my chest as Dad drives us closer to the train station. It sucked having to leave Balto behind, but we couldn't take him since pets aren't allowed at the station, so I had to say good bye to him earlier than I anted to. He literally followed me everywhere as today got closer, his golden eyes full of sadness and sorrow even before our good byes, or even before I left the house. Margaret helped me pack the night before, making sure I bring more vibrant colors than the typical grey, blacks, and blues, but my grey hoodie was non-negotiable. It's my favorite and I'd be damned if I was forced to leave it behind for "a more colorful wardrobe". I only packed six different colored T-shirts anyways, so that's as vibrant as I was ever gonna get. 

Before we left that morning, my sister gave me a framed picture of all of us her stuffed wolf toy, an exact replica of Balto. I know how much that toy meant to her, so I tried to give it back, but she wasn't having it.

"Since I'll have the real thing, you'll need this more than I will" Margaret said, her voice full of loss. At that moment, I had to accept it and when I did, she embraced me in a tight hug before leaving the room, allowing me to sleep and get ready for the day to follow. I'm glad that I did though, its almost like Balto's coming with me! Almost.

And now we've arrived. I can feel a wave of emotion crash over me as we slowly leave the car, grabbing my luggage as we go. I only have two suitcases, so it's not a heavy load to carry by myself, but Dad will forever and always insist that I don't have to carry anything. As we walk to the ticket booth, I look around and notice that there are  _a lot_ of people here, looking weirdly excited and giddy. I let out a groan of frustration as I realize why they're here and slowly put my hood on. My name got leaked to the press when I accepted my enrollment invitation and they haven't been able to talk about anything else throughout all of Massachusetts. It's annoying really, but at least they got a good picture of me. Having my face all over the news, having people walk up to you saying how proud they are of you, the whole thing. Those people wouldn't give me a second glance if I wasn't going to Hope's Peak, so why do they care now? Oh wait, I'm technically "famous" now aren't I? Too much fake people for my liking. Thank goodness they don't know what my family looks like or else they'd find me immediately, and my parents know this as they try their best to block their view of me.

As we walk to the ticket booth, I see a blonde teenager blowing bubble gum and reading a magazine, only looking away when she actually has to do work.

"Uh, excuse me?" I ask her, only to get a glare in return. Well excuse me Princess, I'm sorry I interrupted you catching up in the latest Kardashian gossip! But, I just held my composure as she finally put the stupid magazine down.

"How can I help you?" the girl asks, showing no interest in me at all. I could tell by the glazed over look in her eyes.

"Uh, yeah here." I tell her as I hand over my letter. Her taking it and looking it over. Her eyes widen as she looks me over again, realizing that I'm the Ultimate Lucky Student from the news. I can tell that she's gonna literally burst in excitement and blow this whole thing for me, I'm not about to have her ruin the last moments with my family

"Please don't say anything! Please?" I ask her in a hushed voice. I don't wan to draw attention to myself. "These are the last moments I have left with my family, can you give me that at least?"

And surprisingly, the girl suppresses her excitement, gives my letter back and lets us through, giving a silent promise not to tell. I shoot her a quick thank you and I go to my family, who has gained a decent amount of distance between us. While I rush back over to them, I reread my letter, questioning why the Headmaster doesn't want me talking to my other classmates. It's an odd request, but will I defy it? Nope! I'd rather not risk losing my place in this class, thank you very much.

Hope's Peak has two trains moving across America on this day: the East Coast Train and the West Coast Train. Since I originate from Mass, I'll be riding the East coast train, shared with seven of my other classmates. I feel the excitement rise in me as I get closer to the waiting station. I wonder what all the people there are like. Are they gonna be nice, mean, or something else entirely? 

We all feel it before we see it. The ground shakes, telling us that this is real. The train is here and I'm gonna be leaving Mom, Dad, and Margaret behind. I knew this was coming, but I don't think I would or will ever be prepared for this moment. There's so much left to say, so much hugs to give and sloppy kisses to receive! With the way the crowd is gathering in the station now, there's no way I'd be able to properly say good bye to them! I'm guessing they know this too, since they're not speaking. They just want me to get on that train before we get too emotional, before the crowd gets too big. The look in their eyes is all I need to know that they'll miss me, that they know there will be time to talk after this is all said and done. 

A pitch black train rolls up to the station, carrying an insignia that looks exactly like the one on the letter. That's it. That's my train. Any and every irrelevant person possible crowds around the train, making this harder than it should be to get on and go. My parents grab me by my arms, and act like my shields as we move forward, with Margaret in the back for anyone sneaky enough to try grabbing me from behind. And when people see me, oh boy, do they see me. I get immediately bombarded by reporters, people asking for my autograph, people wanting pictures, even a lock of my beard hair was requested! But my parents persevered through the crowd and we make it to the conductor, and he gives me a look of pity and exhaustion. If the plethora of grey hairs are a sign of anything with the added wrinkles, I'd say he must be at least in his mid 50's.

"Do you have your acceptance letter Mr.Brown?" the conductor asks with his hand out. I hand him the letter and he doesn't even look at it for two seconds before he accepts it.

"Welcome aboard, Mr.Brown. May I carry your luggage?" he asks, looking at my Dad expectantly. Dad struggled with giving my stuff to the guy, but he eventually did, but not without a stray tear or two afterwords. The conductor leaves with my luggage and I figure I have one last moment to say good bye to them. It was robbed before, so I might as well say something now.

"Bye Mom, Dad, Margaret. I love you." I tell them, knowing that the waterworks are coming and soon.

"We love you too honey!" Mom yells.

"Yeah, don't forget about us for too long, you hear?" Dad yells after her.

"Bye Benji! I love you!!!" Margaret cries to me, right before I enter the train, wiping off the tears as I go further into it.

When I step inside the passenger car, I can't believe my eyes. It. Looks. STUNNING! Red satin seating, obsidian table tops, gold interiors, it looks like it costs a fucking  _fortune_! If Hope's Peak is anything like this train, it'll be love at first sight! The conductor finishes putting my luggage in a compartment above one of the seats, so knowing that it's mine, I head to it. As I walk along the walkway, I look at the other students and I'm met with mostly smiling faces, full of genuine excitement that I'm here. At least that's comforting! I look at a guy with glasses and he just gives me the most disgusted look I've ever seen someone give to another person, like I'm the shit he accidentally steps in on the way to a VIP Party. What the hell is his problem?! He shouldn't make disgusting faces, and I hope it does, because fuck him. Whatever, one guy is not gonna ruin this day for me, so I make it to my seat and i sit in the softest cushions I've ever felt, you can literally feel how much money it costs! I grab Margaret's toy and hold it close to my heart as I look out the window, at my family, at my everything.

"ALL ABOARD!!!!"

And with that, the train begins to move, moving farther away from comfort, away from home and closer to my future. Nothing can erase the looks of longing and sadness in my family's eyes, but with my sister's gift in my arms, I know I have the strength to use them as fuel. As fuel for success! I'm doing this so that not only I can make a name of myself, but to also become someone they can be proud of! A tear falls from my eye, filled with not much sadness really, a lot more happiness if I'm honest. But there's no time for crying, I promised Mom that I'd stay strong for all of us! I wipe the tear away with my finger, giving me a sense of confidence in my chest, a sense of strength that I can feel each mile we go, each city we zoom through to get to our destination. This is it! This is when I begin the next chapter of my life! Just like this train, I'm racing towards my new life and the future that awaits me! There's nothing that can stop me now! When I graduate, I can be who I want to be, do what I want to do! And not only me, but my other classmates all have bright futures ahead of them. We are the chosen few. It is our destiny to be here on this train and I can feel the excitement bubbling in my chest as we race toward our new home. I am Benjamin Brown, the Senior Class' Ultimate Lucky Student and no one can blacken my light. No one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you have it guys! I just wanted you to get a feel of Ben and his driving force throughout the story. The next chapter should be posted within the week! Have a great day guys! And be nice to someone! You'll never know who's day you'll make better! until next time!


	2. Chapter One: Be Careful What You Wish For PART ONE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope's Peak Academy heralds the best of the best students from across the nation to gather at one place to hone and enhance their specific talents, igniting the hope of society to see a better and brighter tomorrow behind the smiles and eyes of those chosen to attend. The America Chapter of the academy has just begun to recruit and Benjamin Brown has been chosen as the Senior Class' Ultimate Lucky Student, randomly drawn from a nationwide lottery. To be chosen to attend a prestigious school, he has to be lucky right? Well he thought, until his world was turned upside down as soon as he entered the school. The school where a single bad decision can get you killed, robbing you of the hope that can quell the hunger of despair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I absolutely DO NOT own anything Danganronpa, the rights and the thanks go to Kazutaka Kodaka and Spike Chunsoft. However, I do own every character except for one, which you will see eventually. I own all of the students basically. I hope you enjoy and I do take feedback, so comment to your hearts content!

                                                                           

Darkness. A pitch black nothingness consumes every last inch of my vision when I finally wake up, from a slumber I don't even remember happening. The last thing I do remember is walking into Hope's Peak Academy and feeling uneasy by the lack of people in the school. After that, I felt panicked and then darkness. So is that where I am? Inside Hope's Peak? But, then how did I get in this dark room? Where are the windows? With a sense of determination, I rise from the cold, plastic floor, feeling the string of drool disconnect from the foamy plastic and go back in my mouth. After I rub my sore right leg, I finally get up and I begin to wave my hands out in front of me, search and scanning for anything to bump into, anything that can tell me where I am.

That's when I accidentally trip over a chunk of metal and land on something, something warm but hard. Strange, but familiar. And before I know it, the large mass began to move! The part of its body I landed on rising up and down in a rapid motion, almost as panicked as I am. What the hell is this thing?! I immediately rush to get up, but it grabs a hold of my waist with big, strong hands and pulls me back down into a straddling position. From what I can tell, it has to be a guy I fell on top of. I may not know a lot of things, but I know how a guys body feels at least. I can already feel the bruises forming where his hands are holding onto me, my anxiety beginning to rise as he keeps his grip on my waist, thinking of all the terrible outcomes and ways I can't escape this situation.

"P-Please don't hurt me! I'll do whatever you want, just let me go!" I exclaim as I begin to struggle against the guy's grip, probably causing my bruises to worsen, but I don't care. I have to get out of here! I'm NOT dying like this!

"Woah, woah, woah!" the guy said in a cautiously calming tone. "Who said I was gonna hurt you?"

"Then why are you gripping me so hard?!" I yell, squirming under his touch. My skin is literally like a bananas, I should not be moving as much as I am. But can you blame me?

"Oh, you're right, sorry." he says apologetically as he frees me from his iron-clad grasp. We both get up from our previous compromising position as I feel the red come to my cheeks. I'm glad its dark at least, it would've been extremely embarrassing if he saw me blushing and I'd rather have him not see that, thank you.

"It's fine, just help me find a light switch or something." I say as I feel along the wall nearest us. I search and search until I finally feel a switch and I flick it on without warning. The other guy groaned in discomfort from the immediate change in vision. Is it bad that I kinda laughed internally? If it is, I don't really care. That can be my revenge for him leaving bruises on me.

After the lights turned on, I finally analyze the room I'm in. A Training Room, filled with exercise equipment and other stuff for physical activity, like sports balls and nets. There are even gymnastics mats on the floor. So, from what I can tell, I must have tripped over the huge dumbbell in the middle of the matted floor. I've always been clumsy, so its no surprise really.

Realizing that I can finally see who I was with, I finally look up, and I couldn't believe my eyes. He. Is. Fucking. HOT! Tan skin, hazel eyes, and built enough that his muscles are bulging from his polo sleeves and in his jeans. And don't even get me started on his ass! It's so perfect! When I admire his face, I see it construe into a panicked expression as he rushes over to someone, someone lying on the floor unconscious. In fact, there are five other people that are in the same position as the one the other guy is trying to help. I immediately rush over to this girl in a black dress and begin shaking her.

"Wake up! Please wake up!" I yell at the girl, hoping that the constant shaking and yelling would scare her awake. When she jolts herself awake, I'm relieved that my plan worked. But she screams and scurries with her back facing the wall, never losing sight of me.

"G-Get away from me! Wh-Where am I?!" the girl screams, her face and voice reflecting so much terror, so much fear, it honestly hurt my heart to see her like that.

"I don't know where we are, just please calm down!" I say calmly, realizing that yelling isn't going to solve anything. I hold out my hand and she cautiously accepts it, using it to rise to her feet. That's when I saw her eyes, a very light shade of brown, but it wasn't natural. Not at all. She began clicking her tongue and looking around the room, until she stops and goes to where she was originally lying down. She picks up a pair or sunglasses and a bamboo cane, and feels for the stray hairs in front of her glasses. The discolored eyes, the sunglasses, the cane? So, she must be blind! It seems like she could see perfectly fine before though, how did she know where her stuff was?

After I was done getting the girl to calm down, the hot guy comes towards me, telling me that because of mine and the girl's little argument, everyone seems to be gaining their consciousness back. And among the people, I see him. The guy with glasses that was on the train! Still looking constipated as always, but you can't expect assholes to change so easily right?

"Huh, you're here?" the guy with glasses asks in a condescending tone, looking at me in disgust. "I thought they left the trash in the garbage where it belongs."

"Are you serious right now?" I ask, frustrated that he'd even try me right now. "Can you, you know, not? At least until we figure out where we are?"

"Wait, you two know each other?" another girl asks, wearing a flower robe on her head.

"No, I have no idea who this is, he just saw me on the train and hated me ever since. Which also, I did nothing to spark his hatred toward me so his problem with me is all his own" I say to her, her nodding her head in understanding. The asshole guy just shrugged me off like he could care less if I existed or not. Again, do I care? No, he can wallow in his own feelings. I know I did nothing to provoke him.

"Hey, since we're all up, why don't we get out of here and look around. Maybe we'll finally know where we are" the hot guy says. I definitely have to get his number after we get out of here.

"Yeah, lets go." I say while guiding everyone out of the Training Room. Well, everyone except for the guy with glasses who shoves his way past me to the front, but not before he gave me a glare so filled with hatred that I can feel it in my bones. Geez, what's with this guy?!

I decide to let it go as he opens the door, pettiness gets no one anywhere and if he wants to be petty, so be it. We all leave the room as we step into an even larger area, a Pool Area to be exact. The pool here was HUGE! It had to be at least the size of an entire football field! And deep too! The water was crystal clear with an assortment of pool equipment like a cleaning net, beach balls, and even diving boards. There were bleachers on both sides of the pool. As I look around, I find the pool rules and before I could read it, the hot guy comes up next to me and reads it loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Hope's Peak Academy's Pool Rules" he says with a clear voice, a voice of a leader. "So, we must be inside Hope's Peak."

"But, if we're in Hope's Peak, why were we knocked out in the Training Room?" a guy with all white clothes says worriedly.

"Good question." I tell him, the gears in my head starting to try and figure our situation out. "Let's keep moving."

"HA! The day I take orders from trash like you is the day Trump apologizes for ruining America." the guy in glasses says, making me flinch at the hateful words. Why? Why is he attacking me like this?! I've done nothing to him! I've let it go so far, and I am fucking. Done. If he thinks he can get away with this, he's got another thing coming!

"Dude, what's your problem? What did he do to you?!"

.......What just happened?!

All I see is the hot guy got up close and personal in the douche bag's face now, wearing a face full of anger. Did he really just defend me?

"Yeah, you have no right saying these things to him! At least He is actually doing something, unlike you!" the girl in the flower robe yells at him, putting him in his place. No one has ever defended me before. Ever. And now two strangers are willing to defend someone they don't even know. I couldn't feel anymore overwhelmed than at this moment!

"T-thank you guys." I say with a huge grin on my face, both turning back to me in acknowledgement.

"Now then," the hot guy says, turning back towards the douche canoe, "are you gonna continue this bullshit, or are you gonna let us continue looking around?"

The silence said it all, he gave up his attacks, for now at least. The hot guy broke his furious gaze, continuing to lead the eight of us through to the next room. He opens the door, holding it to allow us access to the next area. Since I'm the last of us to go through the door, he goes to close the door behind him.

"DON'T CLOSE THAT DOOR!!!!" we all hear as a girl in a girl's scout uniform sprints toward us. But it was too late, he closed the door and before we knew it, we heard it automatically lock behind us!

"What the hell? What's going on here?!" the hot guy yells as the eight of us are met with eight other people, just like us.

"You guys must be from the West Coast Train!" I exclaim and everyone looks at me in shock at the revelation.

"Wait, you guys are from the East Coast Train?" a guy in a priests outfit asks us, eyes widened in shock.

"Yeah," I tell him confidently, "which means, we're your other classmates."

"Does that mean you woke up in a strange room too after being asleep?" a very tall, muscular woman asks me.

"Yes, we woke up in a Weight Lifting Room near the Pool." the girl with the robe told them.

"Were you guys in a similar situation?" the blind girl said with a shaky nervousness in her voice.

"No, we woke up in here." a girl with a subtle French accent told us.

"We weren't able to travel since the only two doors are automatically locked from the outside" a guy also with a subtle French accents says after the girl. It seems like they're brother and sister, considering that they also look very much alike.

"But what does this mean? Why did this all happen?" I ask everyone, looking for any answer that could make any sense, even a fraction of a sense!

"WHY ARE YOU HERE, YOU ASK?????!!!!!!!"

After that uproarious voice echoes throughout the Gymnasium, the random stage begins to spew fog as it fills the area around it. What are these theatrics?! Is this supposed to be a part of the Opening Ceremony?! But, that doesn't make any sense! Then why did they put us somewhere unconscious? Just as the flurry of questions begin to fill my mind, something begins to rise from the stage, with someone sitting on it. Its a jeweled throne and as the smoke begins to clear I can clearly see who was sitting in it now. A little boy with a black top hat, a full tuxedo, and a prosthetic on his face that forms it into one of a teddy bear, one with half of its face white and the other half black. But that isn't the most unsettling thing about him; one of his eyes is glowing a very sinister red that just pierces your soul. I can't help but quiver in fear as I watch him sitting there, looking down at all of us with a grin of villainous intentions.

"Welcome to the Hope's Peak Academy Inauguration Ceremony for this year's Senior Class! I am your headmaster and you can call me Monokuma!" the boy known as Monokuma says.

"Our headmaster?" the douche with glasses asks Monokuma. "You're just a kid! What credentials allows you to lead anything?". To that, Monokuma just laughs at him, almost as if the question is too obvious to warrant an answer.

"Well, what warrants you to be a little bitch? And the answer is: you were just born that way!" Monokuma says with such a jovial tone that it takes me a while to react to the fact that he just roasted the hell out of my tormentor. And I couldn't help but laugh. A lot actually. So much so that everyone else around me started to giggle at Monokuma's dig at the guy who chose to be a prick to me at first glance. As the laughing goes on, I can see the fury rise in his face, looking at me with murder in his eyes. Oh boy, I've really done it this time. Before he can come at me though, Monokuma interrupts the laughter by continuing his speech. God bless him honestly.

"Anyways, if you're done with your laughing, I can finally tell you the rules here if you're living here for the rest of your lives!" Monokuma continues.

.................

What? Live here for the rest of our _lives_? What does THAT mean?! My eyes widen in shock and blink and blink and blink and blink because this has to be a joke right? He obviously doesn't expect us to live our lives here forever! As I look around, I see everyone elses' faces filled with the same conflicting emotions as mine is. The laughter has died, every type of emotion is nowhere to be found, except for one. Fear.

"Wh-wh-wh-wh-what do you MEAN, live here forever?!" the blind girl asks with the not the same fear in her voice from when I woke her up, but this fear was very much more potent than before.

"Exactly what I just said! The sixteen of you will live here for the rest of your lives! Without any contact from the outside world! Without anyone knowing that you're here! You'll never see your families ever again!" Monokuma replies, over enthused by us being held against our will.

Just then, a girl with pink hair runs up to Monokuma and grabs him by the collar, anger in her eyes.

"Who the hell do you think you are?!" the girl exclaims in an unquestionable fury. "Do you honestly think that a little cocksucker like you can keep us here?! It's sixteen to one, you can't do shit!" she spat at our newfound captor.

"Uh, uh, uh! Rule Number One: Violence against the headmaster is strictly prohibited! If you do this again," Monokuma warns as he snaps his fingers. As he does huge gatling guns descend from the ceiling and are set to shoot her down where she stood! Where did he get the money to set up these guns like that?!

"Hey, come back here, before you get yourself killed!" I yell at her, my voice filled with genuine concern. I don't want anyone dying here, not if I can help it. The pink haired girl has a look of utter defeat as she lets Monokuma go and joins us. At least she tried, she couldn't have known that the entire school is rigged to keep us here. I'm just glad she's ok.

"Anyways, as I was saying before I was interrupted by Miss Dyke over there," Monokuma says, egging on the girl that dared to attack him, which seemed to be working, but thank heavens she wasn't moving to kill him again. "The sixteen of you will live here for the rest of your lives, unless..."

"Unless what?" the girl scout said in a calm, endearing voice, almost unfazed by the situation at hand. Honestly, I'm kinda jealous of her levelheadedness, I'd give anything to feel no fear, no paranoia about my future here. But I also wonder, if there's a way for us to leave, I'd like to hear it.

"Unless you, I don't know, murdered one of your classmates..."

No. NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo! This can't be happening! This has to be a joke, this can't be real! He wants us to murder eachother?! That's crazy! This has to be a joke!!!!

"Why?", I ask Monokuma, I couldn't stop myself from asking the question, immediately regretting the action as soon as I say it. "Why are you doing this?! What could you possibly gain from all of this?!"

And Monokuma's answer, from the very second I heard it, stuck with me, most likely to infect my dreams and disfigure them into nightmares.

"Oh, you're complete and utter despair, that's all."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's where everything goes to shit! I told you this chapter would be incredibly longer! In the next chapter, you'll learn more about the other students and their talents. Feel free to comment and give your thoughts on whats gonna happen in the future! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and expect more chapters in the future! And remember, never give up on your dreams!
> 
> Side Note: The drawing is of our main protagonist, Benjamin drawn by a really good friend of mine :)


	3. Chapter One: Be Careful What You Wish For PART TWO

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope's Peak Academy heralds the best of the best students from across the nation to gather at one place to hone and enhance their specific talents, igniting the hope of society to see a better and brighter tomorrow behind the smiles and eyes of those chosen to attend. The America Chapter of the academy has just begun to recruit and Benjamin Brown has been chosen as the Senior Class' Ultimate Lucky Student, randomly drawn from a nationwide lottery. To be chosen to attend a prestigious school, he has to be lucky right? Well he thought, until his world was turned upside down as soon as he entered the school. The school where a single bad decision can get you killed, robbing you of the hope that can quell the hunger of despair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I absolutely DO NOT own anything Danganronpa, the rights and the thanks go to Kazutaka Kodaka and Spike Chunsoft. However, I do own every character except for one, which you will see eventually. I own all of the students basically. I hope you enjoy and I do take feedback, so comment to your hearts content!

 

 

 Despair? Monokuma recruited all of us from across the country, had not one, bought two trains take them all to a secluded place, drug them, and trapped them in Hope's Peak, all for "despair"?! That's unacceptable! What kind of answer is that?! What kind of sadistic and crazed lunatic traps sixteen people and forces them to kill each other?! I just don't get it! Before I can think anymore on the matter, I hear Monokuma's childish voice whining like a kid wanting a piece of candy, obviously wanting out attention. I, not wanting to ruffle any feathers with another person today, I look up, and when I do, I just see a projector screen come down from the ceiling. What is he planning? 

"Now then, I have to tell you about the rules of Hope's Peak Academy and more importantly, The Killing Game!" Monokuma says, his voice filled with malicious glee. "Behind me are sixteen backpacks, one with each of your names on them, go and find yours and take a seat where you stand!"

With that, we all hesitantly move towards the stage, not sure what could be inside our designated bags. For all we know, he could've packed guns in them, or knives, or even bombs! He said that this is a killing game after all! Why wouldn't he outright give us weapons?! 

"To make things easier, why don't I just hands you guys your bags one by one?" I ask them, wanting as little chaos as possible. 

"That seems efficient, so why not?" a guy with nerdy glasses responds, adjusting his glasses as he does so.

"Yeah, go ahead." the girl scout responds, which is all the permission I need to move forward and scrounge through the bags, calling out their names one by one.

"OK, the first one is Jane's." I say as I look around and I see the blind girl move towards the stage to get the bag. I hand her the bag, now knowing her name.

"Th-thank you." Jane says as she takes the bag, her timid nature shining through her voice once more. She heads back to her seat as I call out the next name.

"This one goes to Sherry-Anne." A girl with expedition-like clothes come forward and I happily hand her the bag. This process continues until there are four left, mine included, but I leave my bag for last.

"Rosemary." I say as I hand the bag to the girl scout since she's the only girl left without a bag, you just have to put two and two together sometimes.

"It's Rose." she says as she accepts the bag.

"What?" I ask her, obviously confused but her little tidbit of information.

"I don't like being called Rosemary. Rose should be what you come to know me as." Rose says in an emotionless tone that reflects her emotionless expression. If this is how she looks when she doesn't like something, I wonder what she'll be like when she'll be angry. The very thought sends shivers down my spine, so I shake the thought and continue with what I was doing. 

"Byron." I say as I look around to see which one of the two remaining guys get up. One of them is the guy I've been crushing on since we've gotten here and the other is Mr. Douche Bag. I can't help but pray that its not my tormentor, but alas, he's the one that comes over to the stage, sauntering over with his construed, despicable fucking face. I choose to not react, however and instead, hand him his bag with a smile on my face. Kill him with kindness and what not. It's better than hurling it at his head for target practice. After Byron gives me a grimace (obviously bothered that I touched his things), he goes to sit down, leaving one last name. His. The guy that defended me at the Pool, the guy that not only helped me, but helped everyone in the Training Room, the one person, if anyone, I can trust the most in this situation. He strides toward me, his muscles flexing under his shirt as he closes the distance between us. I hop off the stage with our bags in my arms. I read his name before I hand it over, checking his name stitched in the front pocket of the baby blue backpack.

"So, that means you're Julian." I say to him, handing over his bag while I look into his beautiful hazel eyes. Why is he so perfect? But more importantly, why am I falling for this guy?! 

"Now then, if you open your backpack, you will find a tablet with the school's crest on it! Take it out and turn it on!" Monokuma says, interrupting my thoughts and my conversation with Julian. That kid really likes to get on my nerves, I swear. But, I do what I'm told and I open my grey backpack and find a blue tablet. I take it out and turn on the power, but it's not like any tablet I've seen. When it turns on, it welcomes me personally with my name scrolling across the screen.

"These tablets, known as eHandbooks, are yours and yours alone! It details everything you need to know about the school: you have a school map, a list of the rules, and details about your fellow classmates. It also has a camera option, but you wont need that until later." Monokuma says with a snide snicker at the end. I see another app on it, one that he hasn't pointed out yet.

"Uh, Monokuma, what's this app with our picture on it?" I ask him, if it's on here, then we're gonna use it at some point, so why not tell us now?

"Oh THAT?! You don't need that now, you'll need that along with the camera!" Monokuma says, but it only raises more questions! What does all of this mean?!

"OK, open the Rule's App so we can go over them now! You wouldn't want to get punished for breaking them, now do you? If you have any questions, please wait until everyone's had a chance to read them thoroughly!" he says with danger in his tone, warning us to do as we're told. I've never pressed a button so fast in my life than at this moment! When I do, the screen opens up with a purple screen, an 8 bit version of Monokuma on his throne, and a list of rules. The rules we have to abide by or else we get severely punished by our captor. 

 

_**Hope's Peak Academy Rules** _

_**Rule #1: Violence against the Headmaster is strictly prohibited along with the flat screen televisions and the surveillance cameras** _

_**Rule #2: The Headmaster is NOT allowed to directly interfere with their student's lives** _

_**Rule#3: There is a Daytime and a Nighttime; your day begins at 7 AM and your night begins at 10 PM. To save energy, the lights get considerably dim after Nighttime begins and go back to their original brightness when Daytime begins**_

_**Rule #4: All rooms on the first floor are sound proof, but a boy and a girl can't sleep in the same room**_

_**Rule #5: Anyone who murders a fellow student  and becomes blackened will graduate, unless discovered**_

_**Rule#6: A body discovery announcement will play once three innocent students discover a corpse. If the culprit is able to integrate themselves back into the group, they will count as one of the innocent classmates.**_

_**Rule#7: All students must reside in the dorms. Anyone who sleeps outside of the dorms will be punished accordingly**_

_**Rule #8 All students are free to explore Hope's Peak Academy, with limited restrictions**_

_**Rule#9: The lending of handbooks between students is strictly prohibited** _

_**Rule#10: All students must wear their backpacks at all times. There's no telling when you'll might need them!** _

_**Rule #11: Rules will be added if need be** _

 

I finish reading the rules and there are a few red flags going off in my head, specifically Rule Number Four. "Unless discovered"? What does that mean? It probably has something to do with the game Monokuma mentioned earlier, but in what way? I don't know. Giving up for now, I look up to see if anyone else is done reading the rules, only to be met with the eyes of the other students staring at me, like they were waiting for something.

"Um, may I help you?" I ask them, a little creeped out that they were staring at me for, I don't know how long.

"Well, we were waiting for you to finish. You were the last one." Rose says to me

"Oh, sorry. I'm done." I say to them apologetically. Why am I such a flop? Of course I'd be the last one, right?

"OK, since all of you are done, do you have any questions for me regarding the rules?" Monokuma asks us, a false, child-like innocence in his voice.

"Uh, yes. I do." I answer as everyone looks back to me, wondering what I'm about to say. "In Rule Number Four, you say "unless discovered". What does that mean?" I ask him, and when I do, he giggles at the question. Oh boy, what have I done?!

"I'm so glad you asked...." Monokuma says eerily with a glint in his eye, showing me that I hit a bull's eye. He wanted us to point that out didn't he?

"Once someone is killed and a body is discovered by three or more students, you all shall investigate the crime and attempt to find out who killed one of your classmates! We will hold what I'd like to call, a Class Trial, where you will have an open discussion and find the blackened! If you pick the right person, I'll only punish the blackened, but if you pick the wrong person, I'll punish everyone besides the blackened!" Monokuma elaborates to us. So this really is a game to him, isn't it? He's literally orchestrating a game where he can sacrifice the lives of others for his own entertainment! 

"Wait, what do you mean by "punishment"? a big girl with overalls asks him. I'm wondering the same thing though. What punishment would they get?

"Well, don't kill and you won't find out huh?" Monokuma warns us, a false sense of caring in his prepubescent voice.

"So all we have to do is make sure we cover our tracks after we kill someone, correct?" Byron asks Monokuma, his face full of smugness and ill intent.

"Hey, you can't honestly be considering this can you?!" Julian asks him, flabbergasted by the other's willingness to sacrifice one of us for his own benefit.

"Of course I am, do you really think I want to be stuck in the same vicinity as putrid filth? Besides, I already know who I'm targeting anyways." Byron responds, turning his head towards me with hatred in his eyes. 

Wait.

"Oh, you're gonna try to kill me?" I ask him and his silent glaring is all I need to know that I'm right. He really intends to kill me, for no reason! Something clicks in my head when he says so full of hate that he wants me dead. Insanity fills my every thought as I walk closer and closer to him, anger rising in me to a point where I can't think of anything else. If Byron wants a fight, I'll give him a fight! Before anyone could stop me, I punch him in his nose, knocking his smug ass glasses off of his stupid face. I straddle his torso and hold him down by his shoulders. This has gone on for too long!

"Listen to me you little bitch, I want you to listen and listen good. You threatened the wrong bitch and if you think I'm gonna take your abuse any longer, you're gonna have another thing coming. I'll beat you, and beat you, and beat you, and beat you, and beat you, and beat you, and beat you until you're eyes are too swollen for you to see even with your bitch ass glasses on, you hear? But I won't kill you though, I want you to live with the mistake of fucking with me. I want you to think of me every time you try and be fucking ignorant to anyone here or on the outside, do you understand me?" I tell him in the most calming tone possible, which contradicts my words. It made my threat scarier if Byron's shocked and terrified expression is a hint. 

I get up off of Byron and I'm met with the variety of shocked expressions worn by my classmates; some cracking smiles that Byron got what he deserved and some filled with fear, but I don't blame them though. I would've been afraid of myself too. Except I know why I'm the way I am, they don't. Julian places his hand on my shoulder comfortingly and the girl in the robe, Fatima, comes to the other side of me and offers me a comforting smile. I can tell that these two are keepers here. The other people on the West Coast Train doesn't know how Byron's been treating me so I don't blame them for not understanding why I did what I did. Rose helps Byron up to his feet as he holds his nose, attempting to keep it from bleeding too much. Damn, I got him good!

"Monokuma! Didn't you just see what that bitch did to me?!" Byron whines, nasally to Monokuma.

"Yes, I did. So what?!" Monokuma tells him without an ounce of care in his voice.

"So WHAT?! He just punched me in the face! He just threatened my life! Punish him!" Byron commands, desperate to see me pay for ruining his "beautiful" face.

"He didn't break the rules! So why should I punish him?! If anyone should be punished, it should be you for provoking him and telling him that you're gonna kill him. You should've plotted to yourself and killed him without warning!" Monokuma explains with conviction, so much so that it almost disguises the fact that he would've been fine if Byron killed me secretly somewhere instead of publicly. To this, Byron just grimaces feeling the internal and external pain of his mistakes.

"Now then, any more questions before we precede?" Monokuma asks us, moving past the fight.

"Yes, Rule Number One, why are there surveillance cameras and flat screens everywhere?" Rose asks, pointing out the flat screens on the wall above the bleachers and the cameras in the corners of the gym. Wow, I guess I've never noticed them before, or is she just that observant?

"Hmmmm, good eye! Those cameras are to observe your every move and the flat screens are to inform you of anything that comes up or to announce Daytime and Nighttime!" Monokuma answers. It seems simple enough, so I just accept his answers, but still wary of him for now. Rose seems to agree with me seeing as she doesn't question him any further

"Anymore questions?" Monokuma asks, only to be met with no more questions. "Perfect! Then lets precede to the main course!"

As Monokuma says that, the fog appears again and with it, a large screen descends from the ceiling. We all stare at it in shock, having no idea what else he could be planning?!

"Now then, lets get to know your classmates a little better! You never know when information could be useful to you!" Monokuma explains as he whips out a remote and clicks a button, showing the face of the exploration girl on the screen. Her brown hair tied into a side braid that descended past her shoulder, her orange ascot tied facing the opposite side of her braid. We all look at her in shock, as she does at the screen, not knowing what's gonna come next.

"Hey! Why is my face up there!?" she says angrily. 

"You all barely know each other! So I thought I'd let you get to know the person that may or may not kill you in your sleep! Anyways, this is **Sherry-Anne Irwin** , the Ultimate Zoologist! She has an efficiency for animals and tending to their specific needs! Even knowing what they need before they do! She's also tamed various deadly animals including,but not limited to, lions, pythons, even black widow spiders! She has earned multiple awards for her work in understanding the Animal Kingdom! She even changed her last name to match her hero, Steve Irwin!"

So that's Sherry-Anne? She so bad ass! Even now, her face shows her anger at the situation we're in, but showcases a humbleness as her accomplishments are being listed. She seems very impressive, but deadly at the same time. I wouldn't want to see her dark side, her kind side is all I need to see, thank you! Steve Irwin would be proud, I think!

Monokuma scrolls to the next page, revealing the very tall woman with the sun hat and the colorful dress. Her red lips being the most prominent thing on her face. But, why is there a muscular guy next to her?

"Next, is **Thomas Barrowman aka Angela Buchanan** , the Ultimate Teenage Drag Queen! She has competed in nationwide pageants against other teenage drag queens like herself and has never lost a single one! And Thomas just started his career as Angela a year ago! She has the make up technique of a seasoned professional! Angela has special permission to perform at clubs all around the world due to her high demand! She's most famous for her stature and elegance despite her height and masculinity!"

Angela's a guy?! I would never have known if Monokuma didn't point it out! It doesn't mean I'm any less scared of her, but that's besides the point. I'd love to have a conversation with her, we could be very good friends I feel. She seems very nice despite her appearance. I wonder how she's like out of drag, is she different or the same?

Monokuma scrolls to Byron's picture which, even in photos, is scowling at everyone he believes is below him. 

"Next, is **Byron St.James** , the Ultimate Thespian! He has performed on Broadway starting at the young age of seven! He's ,since then, become a known name throughout the theater scene, being the youngest person alive to earn three Tony's for his work! He's known for his cutthroat attitude when it comes to auditions and performances, feeling no remorse for anyone who fails to meet the expectations of those around him!"

So, even outside of Hope's Peak, he's a fucking douche canoe?! Am I literally the only person that's not afraid of him?! People like him never get punished for being dicks to people and if he thinks that he can step on people her, he has another thing coming. I already kinda, sorta broke his nose just now! I'll GLADLY do it again.

The next picture is of Julian, sporting a nice smile and his hazel eyes more noticeable with the lights in the picture. Did I ever mention that he's hot? If I did, I'll say it again. I do NOT care!

"Next, is **Julian Levi** , the Ultimate Internet Star! His main YouTube channel has over twenty million subscribers and with his other four channels, he's accumulated over one BILLION subscribers across the five channels! He's one of the only content creators to make content for everyone: gaming, men's fashion, vlogs, and reviews, the whole sch-bang! He has the most followers on social media platforms than any teenager due to his personal connection to his audience, making him one of the most loved people in this day and age!"

Wow, Julian's internet famous? And he still remains one of the nicest people I've ever met! I would've thought him and Byron, based on their Ultimates, would have different personalities! I'm glad they don't though. Julian is making this whole thing at least bearable, I don't know what I'd do if he wasn't here! I know it sounds greedy, but still! I look at him next to me and he looks down at me and smiles sheepishly and blushes, embarrassed that his accolades are being put on display. Could he get any cuter?!

Monokuma scrolls past Julian and the next picture shows the priest guy with a nice, small smile with one of his curls in his face. His blue eyes look like the sky, its beautiful, but compared to Julian's? No competition!

"Next, is **Gabriel Smith** , the Ultimate Religious Symbol! He's most known for sparking hope back into punk, inner city youth through religion! His work throughout America has increased the Christian Population by ten percent! He's also traveled to poor countries and taught them the ways of God, bringing hope to countries that gave up on life many years ago! He's received numerous awards for his work spreading religion to those who needed it the most!"

So, Gabriel's talent is spreading his beliefs? He must have a knack of speaking publicly, how else would he have been so successful in his Christian missions? At least he has something to believe in, even right now. I may not believe in a higher power, but to each their own, right?

Monokuma scrolls to the next picture, which is of me, the one who hasn't done anything of worth their entire life. Why me?!

"Next, is **Benjamin Brown** , the Ultimate Lucky Student! He has no significant accolades to disclose, but he was chosen to attend by a nationwide lottery! Having no Ultimate talent, or anything of worth, he's as natural as you can imagine! He may not have anything interesting about him on the outside, but oh boy, does he have stuff on the inside!"

I can't show my face ever again, can I? I have no talent, nothing of worth to offer here, I might as well just leave and let everyone that does have talents duke it out! I know there's nothing interesting about me, but damn, hearing it being said for the first time really puts into perspective how much I suck at life. Really, why can't I be good at anything?! Feeling a hand on my shoulder, I look up to see Julian pulling me in, his mouth next to my ear like earlier.

"Don't listen to him." Julian whispers in my ear reassuringly. "I think you're interesting and more. It takes balls to punch the shit outta someone like you did."

To that I chuckle to myself, Julian doesn't even know me and he's being so kind to me. He really doesn't have a bad bone in his body does he?

Monokuma interrupts my thoughts by preceding to the next student, or, should I say, "students"? In this picture, it shows the brother and sister, his portrait on the left side and her on the right. If I had to describe them in one word, it'd be beautiful. Their eye brows are perfect! They look like models! The brother has these beauty marks that look unique and amazing on his face and his short hair is the perfect length for his head. The sister has the most symmetrical face I've seen! Her hair's put up in a tight bun with a couple of stray hairs that seem intentionally left out. They're just, beautiful. 

"Since they're very much the same, up next are the twins **Claus and Ufelia Benafonté** , the Ultimate Male and Female Ballerinas! They've traveled around the world in middle school, touring with one of the most prestigious ballet companies: Belle Révolution! These two were the only adolescents to ever get into the company, but their ballet abilities allowed their superiors to bend the rules for them! Soon after, the Benafonté twins are in high demand all around the world! They even went back to their homeland, France, for a special performance of The Swan Lake with Claus playing the role of Odette, the first male to do so and Ufelia performed as Odette's evil counter part: Odile! They're known throughout the ballet scene as The Swan Twins not only for their roles in The Swan Lake, bur for those lucky enough to see these two, their described as graceful and beautiful as swans!"

Wow, they're kind of amazing! Claus even more so if they thought that he would be better than any girl playing Odette! The twins have done a lot! I wonder, why they moved to America from France? Were their parents just seeking American culture? Anyways, I wonder how they'll be down the road. 

Monokuma goes to the next picture, the one of Fatima in her flower cloth she has wrapped around her head. She's a very pretty girl, pretty smile too, but for some reason, she's hiding behind the clothes that cover every inch of her skin except her face and her hands. I wonder why?

"Next, is **Fatima Mahaseth** , the Ultimate Humanitarian! She began by making and selling her hijabs, for example, the one on her head, and using the money she's earning from her business to donate to a multitude of charities, like animal shelters, foster homes, and education! Soon after, her business became more successful and became the biggest seller of fine hijab fabrics, earning over ten million through national and international sales! But she sent most of her earnings to preserving landmarks around the world, like the Egyptian Pyramids, The Amazon Rainforest, Machu Pichu, and The Great Barrier Reef! She's even financially aided in the preservation of a plethora of endangered species like Siberian tigers, sea turtles, white rhinos, and honey bees!"

Wow, Fatima is a very generous person! Not only did she raise a successful business starting from nothing, but she cares about helping others and giving back to the world she lives in. She's such a kind hearted soul! I mean, she even defended me with Julian, so she's ok in my books!

The next student Monokuma goes to is Rose with her beret. Her freckles are prominent on her pasty white face. Her eyes are even more dead in the picture thanks to the lighting. Her curly blonde hair is tight yet loose at the same time and her blue eyes are almost blue as Gabriel's, but a little darker.

"Next up, we have **Rosemary Pegasus** , the Ultimate Girl Scout! She's been the second most awarded girl scout in America, rivaled only by her mother who came generations before her! She's even had a badge named after her, given to junior scouts that show excellence in teamwork, dedication, and above proficient skill in every category! She leads her own troop and with her leadership, her troop became number one in America! She puts her career before anything, her dedication to her passion is rivaled to none! Her ability to perform any task with the utmost efficiency is renown throughout The Girl Scouts of America!"

Just looking at Rose, I never thought that she would ever care about anything given her lifeless expression. Mom told me to never judge a book by it's cover, but I can't even tell what Rose's cover is half the time! Her callous, emotionless personality put me off every time I see her dull, blue eyes and hear her voice that borders on monotonous, but has a hint of intent in it. You're a very interesting person Rose. Very interesting indeed.

Monokuma scrolled to the next photo, of the Spanish guy wearing all white on the East Coast Train. His hair is put into a man bun and he has a goatee. He has a soft smile and even has soft, brown eyes.

"Next, is **Gomez Castro** , the Ultimate Masseur! Gomez is the master of every known massage: deep tissue, Swedish, Aromatherapy, Shiatsu, Thai, etc.! He gets customers year round at his family's massage parlor, he's even massaged the bodies of some of the biggest celebrities in Hollywood! Some of his biggest customers are Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka, Madonna, and the whole Kardashian Empire! His family's business sky rocket, thanks to his ability to perform any style of massage without any difficulty!"

Huh, I would've never pegged Gomez as a masseur honestly. Sure he has the zen attitude and the coy fish tattoo on his arm to prove it, I just thought he was something different. Like a Nurse with his all white attire. But again, never judge a book by its cover I guess.

Monokuma then scrolls to a picture of the girl in the flowing red dress. Her pin straight brown hair looks perfect under her tiara, even more lustrous in the picture due to the lighting. Her smile is pearly white and her red lips are even more noticeable because of them. 

"Next up is **Patty Delman** , the Ultimate Barbershop Singer! She created a barbershop quartet made up of herself and no one of musical talent, but she trained them and created three of the best singers in the Barbershop Society! Her quartet, Baked Goods, even won the Sweet Adeline's International Competition, beating female quartets that have had years of experience and she became the youngest singer to ever win the competition! After her win, Patty went on to teach her vocal techniques to all those who seek her help and she's increased the membership of the Barbershop Harmony Society by a whooping twenty percent over the last three years! She's helped coach future quartets that eventually also went to win the competition, making her the most sought out instructor throughout America!"

Patty's a singer huh? I look over to her and I see her hold her head down, sadness in her eyes. But, why would she be upset at her accomplishments? It doesn't make sense!

Monokuma continues his slideshow, showing the girl in the overalls, her afro bound down by her red bandana. She may be what people call "obese", but that doesn't mean she's not beautiful. She's very much so! She has a yellow shirt under her overalls and has brown, leather cowgirl boots, completing the look.

" **Topaz McAfee** is the Ultimate Farmer! She's most known for her innovative and productive farming techniques, resulting in healthier and safer crops! She wrote several books on her techniques and they're used all across America! Thanks to her, America is eating healthier food at a cheaper price due to the over abundance of healthier products! She's also a leading contributor to America having one of the most stable international trading, cash crops being made at a healthier and steadier rate than the quick short cuts other farmers resulted to using for the sake of time! Topaz is the one people go to for new ways to effectively rebuild a healthier America!"

That's Topaz McAfee?! My dad read her books! Her techniques helped him get enough money to afford the house we have now! She's amazing and has honestly helped so many families, including mine! When I get a chance, I need to thank her.

The next picture Monokuma shows us is of the pink haired girl that was almost killed by his guns. She has really short hair and a boyish complexion. She has a lip ring, eyeliner, a purple sleeveless hoodie and black cargo shorts. 

" **Monica Lyon** , the Ultimate Card Game Enthusiast! She knows how to play every card game in existence, but her specialty is Yu-Gi-Oh! She has won multiple tournaments, both official and unofficial! She's defied the odds stacked against her every time, her fans deeming her "The Queen of Card Games"! She has won multiple awards for her strategic game play and was even consulted by the creator of Yu-Gi-Oh for a new deck concept based off of her, called "The Haus of Cards" with a card designed off of her called "Monica: The Queen of the Cards!"

Wow! I love Yu-Gi-Oh! It's so cool that Monica has a whole deck themed around her! She has balls, I'll give her that, I just hope she keeps her head strong attitude from earlier when she defended us. 

Monokuma scrolls to the next picture in the slide show, which was Jane's, the blind girl. She wore her black rounded sunglasses even in the picture, shielding the world from the dull, empty color of her eyes. Her brown bob is kinda messy, but I don't blame her, she can't really fix what she can't see. She even looks timid in the picture too, I wonder why she's so afraid of everything.

"Next, we have **Jane Hilton** , the Ultimate Blind Role Model! She goes around the country as an inspirational speaker against bullying and discrimination towards the handicapped! Not only that, she is the first person to perfect the art of echo location, the technique bats use to see, even in total darkness! Since she's able to see, she teaches her technique to other blind people in America, allowing them to be more independent in society!"

I would never have thought that Jane was a people person, she seems so scared all the time. I understand why she's afraid of us, but isn't it better to make the best out of a shitty situation?

There's only one student left in our class, the nerdy guy with the glasses and professor attire. He's so short, even shorter than me, and I'm not even the average height for a guy!

"Last, but not least, we have **Rhys Morimoto** , the Ultimate Mathematician! He was recruited by the top scientists in the nation to work on medical supplies to cure a number of different diseases, including, but not limited to, cerebral palsey, polio, and even one that corrects the chemical imbalance in your head! As we speak, him and his colleagues are working on a complete cure for aids and cancer!"

Rhys did all that?! That's amazing! He looks cocky as hell though, like we should be praising him for his work. Well, if he'd gonna be a dick about it, I'm not gonna hang out with him, you know? We'll just see when I have an actual conversation with him.

"And that concludes the introduction and the Hope's Peak Academy Inauguration Ceremony for the Class of 2025! Congratulations!!!" Monokuma says jovially, his child-like personality shining through. "Now then, I know you all are hungry, so why don't we go to the Cafeteria before I send you to your dorms!"

With that, Monokuma marches towards the doors behind us and we follow, not sure what's in store for us here. We end up in a Trophy Room, the walls barren since we're the first class to attend here. I assumed that we were going past the Trophy Room, but Monokuma halts at the next set of double doors, making me anxious about what's beyond them.

"Welcome, my students, to Hope's Peak Academy!!!!" Monokuma announces as he ceremoniously opens the double doors, and what I see isn't what I expected. Not in the slightest! The walls of Hope's Peak Academy is decorated with images of fireworks! Vibrant, exploding colors on each walls, like sulfuric flowers!

"This is the First Floor of Hope's Peak Academy: The New Year's Floor! This floor is decorated with everything that is relevant to the holiday! But, I'll get more into it tomorrow since you'll need a tour of the new place! So for now, let's continue!" Monokuma explains to us, elaborating why the fireworks designs are on the walls in the first place. So, if this floor is New Year's, what are the other floors? Are they just like this one, but a different theme? As Monokuma leads us deeper into the school, we walk past a bunch of closed rooms, but the one with the Golden Dragon Statue outside of it really catches my eye. It has an intricate design all along its body and it looks like it's made of solid gold. Even though it looks fearsome and scary with it's fangs bared at us, I can't help but stare at it, my eyes examining every groove, every indent of it's design. I analyze the dragon so much, that I accidentally run into someone, Angela to be exact, and fall to the ground.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry! Are you ok?!" I ask her, not wanting her to be mad at me for being so rude. I can feel my face getting more and more red by the second, the embarrassment getting to me.

"Oh, its fine hun, I didn't feel a thing. Are you okay though? You fell pretty hard." Angela asks me, with a hand out to help me. I gladly take her hand and rise to my feet, she smiles at me, realizing that I'm not hurt.

"Thank you Angela." I tell her sheepishly, lingering embarrassment in my voice.

"You're welcome, any time!" she says to me as we join the others in front of the Cafeteria. She's so amazing! I knew I'd like her! Mom was right, even in this terrible situation, I seem to be making friends here, I just hope we all make it out ok. When we join the rest of the group, Monokuma is telling them something about the Cafeteria, but I don't pay attention because he's annoying and I'd rather not. I can just ask someone else later.

"Now then, go in and enjoy your meal and I'll let you all know when it's Nighttime!!! And remember, lock your doors before you go to sleep!" Monokuma warns with malice in his voice as he disappears in a puff of smoke. How does he do that?! After he left, we all look around at each other, our heads filled with questions of what to do. It was Rose who finally broke the silence, ceasing our inner turmoil for the time being.

"Well, let's go inside and eat." she says as she enters the Kitchen, but not before grabbing a plastic tray. That was all the motivation we needed seeing as everyone began to move to the kitchen after her. The Kitchen had every food imaginable! Fruit, Vegetables, Meat, Breads, everything! I grab some whole wheat bread, cheese, and pepperoni and made a Pepperoni and Cheese Sandwich, a Pizza Sandwich if you will. I grab a bottle of apple juice and a brownie and head back to the tables. I look around at everyone claiming their seats, grouping up into little cliques.

"Hey Ben! Over here!" Julian calls to me, gesturing to an empty seat between him and Fatima. Thank god I don't have to sit alone! I go to his table and sit where he wanted me to and Angela, Jane, and Fatima greet me since they were the only ones at our table besides Julian and I. Everyone else is scattered throughout the Cafeteria, eating and talking to each other.

"So," Fatima begins asking me. "How is your hand?"

I look down at my right hand I notice the bruising around my knuckles, most likely from punching Byron earlier. I never noticed it being hurt until just now, I guess I did a good job, huh?

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine thank you." I tell them reassuringly.

"Well, you did go a little crazy there hun. What exactly prompted you to do that? I would've never expected you to be the one to get in a fist fight quite frankly." Angela asks me unsurprisingly. I can understand why, I'm not someone that would get into a fight like that.

"Something just snapped, ever since we got to this place, he's been antagonizing me for no reason. Ask these two." I say as I point to Julian and Fatima. "They defended me when he kept on attacking me. When he threatened my life, I just couldn't take it anymore. He had to stop, no matter what."

They all look at me with understanding, Julian and Fatima with a hand on my shoulder and Angela hold out a hand to me and I take it, accepting her consoling hand.

"C-Can I s-s-see you h-hand?" Jane asks me and I oblige, although confused.

Jane begins to feel my entire hand and seemingly massages each knuckle, each individual bone.

"W-Well, at l-l-least it's not b-broken right?" Jane asks me, I just look at my hand with a questioning glance.

"What do you mean Jane? How can you tell?" Julian asks her, asking what I was wondering myself.

"W-Well, I can f-fell any fr-fractures or broken bones and your hand feels l-like any h-h-healthy unh-harmed hand. My bl-blindness b-b-boosts m-my other s-senses." She answers us.

"Wow, that's so cool Jane! Thank you for letting me know!" I tell her, marveling at her unique talent. She opens her mouth in shock for a second, surprised by my compliment.

"It's my p-pleasure! Anytime!" Jane tells me, happy that she got recognition for her help.

"Speaking of Byron," Fatima begins, "what is gonna stop him from actually making an attempt to kill you? He seems very adamant on killing you for some reason."

Oh my god. She's right! It hits me like a Hummer truck that I'm still in danger! He could do it at anytime and I wouldn't even know when he plans on striking! I could be going somewhere alone and he could use that opportunity to get me! I can't die! I CAN'T!!!! 

"Hey, Ben! Snap of of it! Get a hold of yourself!" I hear Julian say to me, knocking me out of my head riddled with fear. "You're staying with me, ok?"

....What did he say?

"Uh, repeat that to me please?" I ask him, voice full of disbelief.

"You're staying with me! I can look out for you and you can look out for me too, so it's a win-win for both of us!"

"A-Are you sure?! I don't want you being targeted too!" I tell him with genuine concern. I really care about him, far more than I really should considering where we are, but I don't want him getting killed for me!

"Of course I'm sure! I trust you and you're in trouble! I'd do anything for you guys! You seem like a good person and I'd hate to see your life taken for a stupid reason like hate. I'd do the same for the girls too, but the rules clearly stop me from doing so. But, I can at least let you sleep in my room until you're ready to be on your own." he says to me, showing me the same genuine concern I have about him protecting me. 

"O-OK! Sure! Why not?!" I tell him, maybe a little too enthusiastic, but I don't care! My head's in the clouds right now! Never in my life would I ever think I'd be in the same room as someone as perfect as him! 

"Great! When you go to your room, just grab your stuff and I'll let you in so you can get settled. Is that OK with you?" Julian asks me.

 "Yeah, that's fine with me!" I assure him, he's already doing so much for me, I'll do it anyway he wants. Hehe, that kinda sounds dirty doesn't it?

**_DING DONG BING BONG_ **

We all hear a tolling of bells reverberate throughout the Cafeteria, and then, the flat screen comes to life with Monokuma sitting on his throne with one of his legs hanging off of one of the arm rests, his scepter in his right hand.

"It's now officially Nighttime! Please precede to the Dorm Area so you can get to know your sleeping quarters! When you leave the Cafeteria, turn to your right and you'll see the doors leading to them! Sweet Dreams every one! And don't forget to lock your doors! You never know who's lurking outside..." Monokuma announces before the screen goes black. I barely ate my food, honestly, I couldn't stomach much because my nerves anyways. I go to bring my food to the trash, but Julian grabs my tray for me.

"I'll go throw this away, you just find your room and meet me there." he says, being a true gentleman. I smile to myself and leave the Cafeteria to go to the Dorms. The lights are significantly dimmer than before, but I remember now that the rules stated that the lights would dim after Nighttime. I don't understand why, it's so much harder to see where you're going.

The first thing I notice when I step into the Dorm Area was our pictures on the doors, indicating who has each room. I keep looking and I find Julian's Room, which is only two doors down from my room. There's a scanner above the doorknob, but what do I scan it with? 

"You use your eHandbook on it." I hear from behind me, seeing Rose walk down the hallway towards me. "Just scan your eHandbook on it and it should unlock, that's how my door opened at least."

"Oh, thank you Rose." I tell her, only for her to nod in acknowledgement. I thought she would've said, you know, you're welcome, but I guess not. I use my iPad on the scanner and I enter my room. 

It's a pretty spacious room, with a desk, drawers, and a large bed. My walls and bed set are grey, matching my hoodie and my back pack. Too bad I won't be able to sleep in it tonight though. I grab my two bags of luggage off of my bed and I leave the room, only to see Rose still outside, not in her room.

"You're not going to bed Rose?" I ask her, my question met with a suspicious face.

"And just where are _you_ going?" she asks me, eyeing my luggage.

"Oh, I'm staying with Julian." I answer her, my nervousness most likely evident on my face.

"And _why_ are you staying with him exactly?" she retaliates. Damn, she's freaking persistent! I see Julian coming towards us, saving me once again! I don't think Rose trusts me all that much if her questions were anything to go off of. I don't know why though, I didn't do anything!

"Hey guys, is something wrong?" Julian asks us, unaware of what just went down.

"Julian, Benjamin claims that he's staying with you, is that true?" Rose asks him speculatively. I don't see why she cares, it doesn't affect her in any way, so why does she want to know?

"Uh, yeah, he is. Byron did threaten to kill him and the two haven't had the best relationship since we've gotten here. So, just in case Byron does plan something, I thought I'd look after him so nothing bad happens to him, you know?" Julian answers her, but her eyes still dart back between us. She's highly paranoid, isn't she?

"OK, it seems fine for now, but don't let your guard down Julian, you never know who your enemies are." Rose says ominously as she walks to her room. Julian looks at me in bewilderment and chuckles under his breath.

"Why are you laughing?" I ask him, "I didn't hear anything funny, so I'm kinda confused."

"I just find it funny that she's so suspicious of you and she doesn't even know why you did what you did. Anyways, how do you open this door?" Julian asks me, eyeing the door with the same confusion as i did before.

"Oh, Rose told me you scan your eHandbook on it and it should unlock it." I inform him. He then removes his back pack, grabs his iPad from inside, and scans it, unlocking the door for us. He grabs one of my bags and we go into the room. 

His room is significantly different than mine, with the walls and his bed set matching his baby blue back pack. His carpeting is a nice cream color and his drawers and his desk are a nice mahogany wood. Yup, definitely better than mine.

"Wow, this room is great!" Julian tells me, moving toward his own luggage after putting mine down next to his. "So, where do you wanna start?"

"Um, we can start by putting our clothes away, you know, like someone would usually do." I say snidely, making it known that I'm joking with him.

"Oh, yeah, how could I possibly forget?" he retaliates sarcastically before chuckling softly. Damn, even his laugh is hot. "Anyways Smart Ass, you take the bottom drawer and I'll take the top drawer, OK?"

"Oh, do you want me to stay here longer than a night?" I ask him, not that I really care, I mean look at him, who wouldn't want to sleep in the same room as him?

"Oh, yeah, kinda. You don't have to if you don't want to, though." he replies, with what sounded like disappointment in his voice. Does he really want me to stay?

"No, I don't mind. I just thought you would've wanted to have a room to yourself is all." I tell him.

"Oh no, it's fine, you're cool. Besides, I trust you. I'd be more comfortable with you than being alone honestly." Oh my god, he didn't just say that, did he?! He actually feels safe around me! I'm so glad this isn't one sided!

"Well, how can I say no after you said that!" I tell him as I open my luggage and begin placing my things inside. 

"Y-You're staying?!" Julian asks me, not hiding his shock in the slightest.

"Yeah, like you said, we can look after each other! You gave me no reason to hate you just yet." I tell him, hopefully hiding my fast-developing feelings for him.

"Great! Thank you!" he tells me, pulling me in for a tight hug, catching me by surprise. He feels nice, warm. I close my arms around him after a while, feeling more of his body as I do. I blush, wondering how he looks under his shirt, but I banish the thought and break away from the hug so I don't get a hard on, that would be hard to explain to him and I'd rather not.

After our hug, we continue to unpack our things. I finish my first bag, but grab a pair of sweatpants for bed which are, of course, grey. I move on to my second bag and I can feel tears readying to come down my face as I see the stuffed dog toy Margaret gave me before I came to Hope's Peak. I wonder how they're doing without me, more importantly, I wonder if they know what happened to me. I take out the toy and move to put the rest of my clothes away and when I'm done, I place my bags in a corner next to the desk. 

"Um, do you need the bathroom before I get changed?" I ask Julian, who is still putting his clothes away.

"Nah, go ahead. I'll just use it after you." he obliges, so I enter his bathroom. I look at myself in the mirror before I do anything. At least I don't look like shit, that's be terrible with me staying in Julian's room. I relieve my bladder before taking off my pants and underwear, going commando like I usually do. I keep my white t-shirt on so I'm not one clothing away from complete nudity. I grab my clothes off of the ground and I head out of the bathroom, giving Julian his bathroom back.

"I'm all done." I inform him and he turns around and flashes that smile, that freaking smile. 

"Okay, I'll be right out." he tells me as he goes into the bathroom after me. I put my dirty clothes in the laundry hamper next to the dresser and I pick up my dog toy. I move to the left side of the bed and I sit down, completely enveloped in my thoughts. My mind goes back to my family back home. I hope they're okay and with the fear of never seeing them again, the will to get out of here burns bright in my heart. But I don't want to kill anyone to do so; I want to get out with everyone! They're in the same boat as me and their loved ones must be worried sick too. We have to find a way out of here! I have to find a way out of here! I know we can do this! I know it'll be a hard road ahead of us, but I believe in all of us!

I get pulled out of my thoughts when Julian comes out of the bathroom, wearing a pair of basketball shorts and a t-shirt with the YouTube logo on it.

 "So, you ready to go to bed?" he asks me, stretching his arms above his head in a cute, manly yawn.

"Yeah, I think so." I tell him, grabbing my dog.

Julian goes to shut off the lights and chooses to sleep on the right side of the bed, so I take the left. 

"Hey, I'm kinda a cuddler when I sleep. I hope that doesn't make you too uncomfortable." he warns me, his face, from what I could tell in the darkness, expressing concern.

"Oh, it's fine, so am I." I tell him, letting him know that he's not alone.

"Oh, come here then!" he instructs as he pulls me closer to him, making me yelp as my head goes on his chest, but close to his neck. "Oh, sorry. Did I scare you?"

"Y-Yeah, kinda." I tell him, trying not sound as giddy as I feel on the inside. 

"Do you not wanna..?" he begins to say.

"No, no, I'm fine like this! I was just caught off guard, that's all." I reassure him, feeling him calm down and his heart beat slower and steadier.

"OK, good night Benji!" he wishes to me, but it takes me a second to answer him.

"What did you call me?" I ask him.

"Oh, you don't like that? I won't call you that if you want." he tells me, his voice filled with the same concern as earlier. 

"No, I like it. It's just, my sister calls me the same thing and I didn't expect it." I inform him, sharing a little about my life back home.

"Oh, OK. Good Night Benji!" he wishes me once again before bringing me in closer to his chest.

"Good Night Julian." I tell him as I begin drifting off into sleep, ending my first day at Hope's Peak Academy.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading guys! This chapter is LONG, but I wanted to introduce each of Ben's classmates and their different talents. I really hope you like them, I tried to think outside the box for each of them and I think I did a pretty good job! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! 
> 
> The next drawing is of Julian Levi, the Ultimate Internet Star drawn by a really good friend of mine :)


	4. Chapter One: Be Careful What You Wish For PART THREE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope's Peak Academy heralds the best of the best students from across the nation to gather at one place to hone and enhance their specific talents, igniting the hope of society to see a better and brighter tomorrow behind the smiles and eyes of those chosen to attend. The America Chapter of the academy has just begun to recruit and Benjamin Brown has been chosen as the Senior Class' Ultimate Lucky Student, randomly drawn from a nationwide lottery. To be chosen to attend a prestigious school, he has to be lucky right? Well he thought, until his world was turned upside down as soon as he entered the school. The school where a single bad decision can get you killed, robbing you of the hope that can quell the hunger of despair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I absolutely DO NOT own anything Danganronpa, the rights and the thanks go to Kazutaka Kodaka and Spike Chunsoft. However, I do own every character except for one, which you will see eventually. I own all of the students basically. I hope you enjoy and I do take feedback, so comment to your hearts content!

 

**DING DONG BING BONG**

 

"Good Morning everyone, it's now 7 AM, which means that Daytime has officially begun! After breakfast, we will begin the tour of this fine establishment!"

I can feel the heavy grasp of sleep on my mind, an iron grip that doesn't want to let go. I thought that maybe if I went to sleep, I'll wake up back in my bed, in my own house. But of course, that announcement just solidifies that what situation we're in is very much real. I think back to last night and I remember how exactly I fell asleep: on top of Julian. I can feel the sleepy grin spread across my face as I remember how his body felt, his warmth, his prominent, hair-dusted pecs, the smooth, but rugged feeling of his skin against mine. I could literally bask in that moment all day! I reach my arm to Julian's side of the bed, only to feel cold sheets where he once was. Huh? Where did he go? And before I could get up and check, the bathroom door opens, only to reveal Julian only wearing a towel wrapped around his waist, water rippling down his body, glistening in the bathroom's fluorescent light. I can't help but admire everything about him! I mean, come on! Look at him! He literally looks like a fucking GOD!

"Oh, good morning Benji!" Julian tells me, causing me to bring my attention back to his face. "How'd you sleep?"

"Great actually. Better than I thought I would get." I tell him, yawning and stretching as my bones pop in pleasure.

"Was it the cuddling?" he asks me, an evil, mischievous glint in his eyes and and an alluding intention in his sensual grin. I can feel my face heat up as I look down, the thought of last night's events flooding my mind with lewd images and fantasies. 

"Relax, it's cool. I'm the one that wanted it remember?" he chuckles to me as he run his fingers through his wet hair. "Besides, I slept pretty well thanks to you being there."

"Oh, really?" I ask him, my face pulled into a smirk of lewd realization, warranting him to look away in embarrassment.

"Y-Yeah. But anyways, shouldn't you be going to the bathroom or something? We should be going to the Cafeteria soon!" he exclaims to me, trying and failing to hide his embarrassment. It's pretty damn cute if you ask me!

"Oh, yeah, you're right." I tell him, pulling off the comforters. I hop off the bed and I move towards the dresser, taking out a red shirt, a pair of jeans, and some underwear, red to match my shirt. I don't know why, but it seems like a good idea to me! After I grab a pair of socks, I head toward the bathroom to change.

Once inside the bathroom, I begin changing after relieving my bladder of the urine built up from my slumber. I go to the bathroom mirror and I fix my hair with my hands so that it looks like a mess, but also like I did it on purpose. I look down and notice that my toothbrush is in the toothbrush holder, but I don't actually remember ever putting it in there. How did it get in here? Did I just forget that I did it or did someone else do it entirely? Since Julian's toothbrush is next to mine, maybe he knows how mine got there. I should ask him later. After I finish brushing my teeth, I exit the bathroom to find Julian laying on the bed, going through his eHandbook, unaware that I left the bathroom. He's wearing a navy blue baseball tee with blue jeans like he wore yesterday, his muscles still visible even under the now longer sleeves of his baseball tee. He's such a blessing to be around, like eye candy everyday, AND we sleep in the same bed?! Someone's looking out for me somewhere!

"Hey, I'm done." I inform him, trying to get his attention and when he looks up at me, I know that I have it. The way he looks at me is kind of strange though, almost in complete adoration. But that can't be it, so I shake the very thought from my mind as I move to place my sleepwear on the desk. I only wore it for one night, so why would I put it in the hamper?

"By the way," I begin, "I don't remember putting my toothbrush in the bathroom last night, do you know anything about that or...?" 

"Oh, yeah, I grabbed it for you. I figured you'd probably use it after my shower, so I grabbed it out of your luggage" he answers me, his eyes barely leaving his eHandbook.

"You went in my luggage?" I ask him, and to that, he looks up at me with a nervous expression. He even put down his eHandbook next to him so that I get his full attention. 

"I'm sorry Benji. I hope it wasn't creepy or anything, I just figured I'd help since you forgot last night, you know?" he tells me, his lack of confidence very apparent in his voice. It's totally out of character for him, I wonder why he's acting so scared? Is it me?

"What? No, it's fine! I just didn't expect it." I try to reassure him, but his demeanor doesn't change. He still has a fearful expression across his face.

"Seriously, you can tell me if you were creeped out by what I did. I won't be mad, really! I'd rather you tell me than just protect my feelings. You're feelings are more important anyways." he tells me, disdain pain across his face. Wow, he's really affected my this isn't he?

"But I'm telling you, I'm fine! It wasn't creepy at all! It's actually very sweet of you to think of me. So..." I reassure him and to that, his face softens and his fear obliterated by my reassurance. My face, however, blushes after revealing a little tidbit of myself with Julian, so I go to face away from him and move toward my side of the bed.

"Really?" he asks me with a tone full of disbelief.

"Yes, really." I tell him as I tidy up the bed, keeping busy to avoid him seeing my face which, I'm guessing, was as red as Ruldolph's nose.

"Well, I guess I'll have to do that more often then, huh?" he tells me, his smooth bravado safely returning to his voice. I look back at him and I can feel the air around him dissipate into his usual, confidant aura, like when he led us to the Gymnasium yesterday. Seeing this side to Julian makes me wonder if there's anymore layers to peel off of his shell, because that nervous side of him is definitely not a side anyone else would see. But is he just that comfortable around me to show me that vulnerable side to him? If so, then he must really trust me to not put his business out there in front of everyone, not that I would ever do that to anyone, I'm just saying. 

After I'm done fixing the bed, I take the toy Margaret gave me and I place it on my side of the bed, leaning up against my pillows. I put my arms through my hoodie before I zip it up half way to my chest, showing my red shirt just a little.

"Hey, what's that?" Julian asks me, pointing to my dog.

"Oh, that's just a toy my sister gave me." I tell him, putting on my backpack as I do so.

"Oh, that's cool. Is it important or-?"

"Yes, very." I tell him, a slight hint of sternness in my tone, implying that I don't want to talk about Margaret right now. Maybe someday, but with our situation still fresh in my mind, I don't want to get emotional around everyone. I've already shown them how emotional I can get. Especially Byron.

"Oh, okay. Sorry." he tells me, his disappointment showcased clear across his face. Damn, I shouldn't have snapped like that.

"I'm sorry Julian. I shouldn't have-"

"No, I get it. I shouldn't have asked that anyways. Obviously it's important, so it was kinda dumb on my part." he tells me with an awkward chuckle. "But anyways, are you ready to go?"

I look myself over and I see that I have everything I need, but then I look at Julian's vacant back and I realize that the both of us don't have everything.

"Well, I have everything, but do you?" I ask him, giving him a chance to redeem himself of his mistake.

"What do you mean? Of course I have everything!" he tells me, completely unaware of his forgetfulness. Okay, one more chance, then I'll tell him. I just hope he gets it or else his entire stay here will be interesting to say the least.

"Are you sure?" I ask him, eyeballing him to imply that he is, indeed, forgetting something. "There isn't anything you need to bring with you or, you know, carry your stuff in? Anything like that?"

He looks at me with the same confused look as before, and I realize that he really was about to walk out without his freaking backpack! Is he crazy?! He could get killed for something like that here! I move to his side of the bed to look for it and when I look under his bed, I find it sitting there under the shadows. I drag it out from under the bed and I lift it by the handle to show it to Julian, my eyebrow raised in a questioning stance.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot all about those." he admits to me, his face turning red with embarrassment. 

"You forgot?! Julian, can't forget about something like this! You could get killed!" I explain to him, panic and concern radiating off of me like UV rays off of the Sun. 

"I-I'm sorry Benji." Julian tells me with his head hung low. 

"Just...please don't forget about it okay? I don't know what I'd do if you got hurt over something so unavoidable, okay?" I tell him, extending his backpack out to him as a olive branch almost.

"Okay, I promise I won't forget my backpack. Or anything else important." Julian says as he takes his backpack from me, placing his eHandbook inside. 

"Thank you. Now, can we go since you have everything? I'm kinda hungry." I ask him impatiently, wanting to leave the enclosed space.

"Yeah, let's go."

As he says this, he opens the door and we exit his room and head to the Cafeteria. As we enter, I notice that there are a few people missing, so I know that we're not as late as other people. I can see Rose at one of the tables observing over all of us, and when she sees us, she immediately makes a bee line towards me and Julian.

"You're late." Rose tells us, or more specifically me, if her cold, stern stare aimed directly at me is a clue to anything. Damn, she's really scary.

"Well, a lot of other people aren't here, so we're fine Rose. Thanks anyways though." Julian tells her, leading me to the kitchen and away from her spine-chilling stare.

As Julian pushes me past the revolving doors, I can immediately tell that the assortment of food has changed to that of breakfast foods like eggs, bacon and pancakes instead of pizza, burgers and other hearty foods like that. 

"Wow," Julian begins, his words caught by the awe of the plethora of different foods spread across the kitchen for our enjoyment, "There's a lot of food here."

"Yeah, there is." I tell him, just as awestruck about the beautiful buffet. I don't think I ever really recognized how much food there really was here! Maybe because I was so focused on the earlier events before dinner last night. Whatever, at least I get to see it now.

"So, what are you getting Benji?" Julian asks me as he heads toward the baskets of bacon and sausage, his mouth drooling over the savory meats.

I think to myself as I scan the room, that is, until I see it. A beautiful basket filled to the top with french toast. My weakness! I grab one of the trays and I head to the basket and grab at least five slices of the stuff! I go to the meats and grab a handful of nice, crispy, and robust bacon and to wash it all down, I grab a bottle of orange juice. I'd be damned if I didn't just make the most beautiful creation I've ever laid eyes on! I mean, besides Julian's almost naked figure, but that's besides the point right now! 

After I created my masterpiece, I meet Julian at the table we sat at yesterday and notice an empty seat between him and Fatima with Jane and Angela across the table from us. I guess I have a designated seat, not that I'm complaining. At least someone actually wants to sit with me.

"Hey guys! Good morning!" I tell them as I sit down in my spot.

"Hey hun. Did you sleep at all last night?" Angela asks me as she scoops a pleasing spoonful of blueberry oatmeal into her mouth.

"Yeah, I did, thank god!" I tell her as I bite into a strip of bacon, my tantalizing taste bud awakening every time I chew. "I never thought I'd get to sleep considering."

"Me either, we will need all of the energy possible to find a way out of here!" Fatima tells us as she eats a fork full of sunny-side up eggs.

"D-Do you really think there's a way out?" Jane asks as she picks at her grapefruit, but not really eating it.

"Of course there is! There's a way we got in here, then there must be a way to get out right?" Julian explains to her as he takes a bite out of his sausage.

"Well, yes, but Monokuma has shown many times before that he has the will and the financial means to keep us here. He wouldn't let us leave without a fight." Angela explains to Julian, and she has a point. For some reason, Monokuma has the financial stability to get all of this equipment and these weapons, so there's no way he wouldn't have thought of us trying to escape without playing his twisted game. I eat my french toast as I watch the other students walk in one by one, Claus and Ufelia, Byron, and Sherry-Anne all walk in later than everyone else. Rose individually scolds them as they enter the Cafeteria, just like she did to me earlier and when everyone is here, Rose stands on one of the tables, commanding attention from everyone here.

"Now that everyone's here, we need to think of a game plan moving forward on how to escape here." Rose says with her arms folded across her chest in an authoritative position.

"How do you propose we do that? If you haven't noticed, Monokuma is very adamant on us staying here. So, why would there be any exit?" Byron asks her with his usual snide attitude in his tone.

"Well, there is one exit, but no one deserves to die!" Gomez tells him, concern in every ounce of his mannerisms. 

"Gomez, you can't be worrying about something that's out of our control." I tell him reassuringly. "You just have to have faith in everyone that we won't stoop to such low levels."

"Why thank you Benjamin for the lack of a solution to our problem. Rose doesn't need your lackluster ignorance." Byron tells me, trying to pick a fight again. 

"Dude, it's too early for this shit. Can you not?" Julian asks him with venom in his voice. But seriously, what does he have against me?!

"Why are you defending such an inferior being? Give yourself more credit." Byron replies, throwing the same amount of venom back at him.

"Actually, there is a reason! If last night is any indicator..."

And out of nowhere, Monokuma appears in front of the Cafeteria with the same sadistic glitz and glamour, just like how he was in the Gym yesterday.

"Last night? What do you mean?" Byron asks as his untrusting eyes dart between Julian and I.

"Well, instead of sleeping in his room last night, Benjamin slept with Julian!" Monokuma discloses to the rest of the students.

Oh no.

As he said that, our classmates' eyes immediately turn towards us in unquestionable shock. My face goes red in embarrassment as I feel my peers' eyes burn holes in my body. Even Fatima, Angela, and Jane were looking at us, expecting to get an explanation to our sudden living arrangements.

"Oh, this is unexpected, isn't it Claus?" Ufelia whispers very loudly at her twin.

"Yes, but I'm not complaining. This is amazing!" he replies by sipping his tea cup.

"I-It's not like that!" Julian begins, the inflection in his voice filled with the same embarrassment I have. "I just wanted him to feel safe! Byron did threaten to kill him after all!"

"But, you slept in the same bed, didn't you? I've even uploaded a picture of you cuddling in your sleep in your eHandbooks!" Monokuma reveals, making me duck my head into my arms, attempting to hide away from what's happening. this can't be happening! It cant!

My classmates rush to take out their eHandbooks, wanting to look at the picture of us from last night. I feel a barrage of nudges on my arm and I can tell that they're coming from Julian, so I look up and he gives me a hug, attempting to comfort me in this extremely embarrassing situation. I hug him back and, for once, I silently cry in his shoulder. Not loud enough for everyone else to hear, but Julian still hears my sobs and he consoles me and pats my back in the most satisfying and comforting way.

"So what?" I hear which makes my head perk up towards the sound and I see Rose looking at her eHandbook in a stern calmness. What does she mean?

"Why does this matter? It's not like it's important or anything, so why did you do this?" Rose scolds him.

"Gee, I just thought that you all would like to know about this beautiful, budding relationship! Friends don't keep secrets from each other, right?!" Monokuma says guiltily, but I know that he wasn't sorry for anything. He's malicious and only cares about himself and his own immature entertainment! He doesn't care who he needs to embarrass or hurt to get his satisfaction! 

"Wait, isn't this in direct violation of the rules?" Patty informs us as she scrolls through her eHandbook.

"WHAT?! How so?!" Monokuma yells as he throws a childish temper tantrum. But my question is, did he really forget his own rules? Didn't he make them?!

"Yeah, 'Rule #2: The Headmaster is NOT allowed to directly interfere with the lives of their students'! And if you ask me, this is definitely interfering with Ben and Julian's privacy! Which means, you have to be punished!" Patty points out to everyone with electricity in her voice, and she's right!

"She's right Monokuma. What are you gonna do? Are you gonna defy the rules you've set for everyone, including yourself? That wouldn't be all that fair, would it? Seeing as you're also a chess piece in this wicked game! You have to follow these rule to a T." Rose exclaims to Monokuma with a passion that exceeds any despair he imagined this would bring to me and Julian. It's kinda nice to not be on the receiving end of Rose's verbal thrashings for a change, even though what she's given me isn't even half as bad as what she's giving Monokuma!

But with Rose's verbal destruction seemingly over, Monokuma stands there, frozen in his spot with fear! We've got him! We've pushed him in a corner! And at that moment, Monokuma takes his own eHandbook out and examines it, his face full of dread as he does so. But then, his face seems to relax and a content smile spreads across his face. Huh? Why is he smiling?

"Well," Monokuma begins, "it seems like I've made a very grave mistake. BUT-!"

What?! What's with the "but"?!

"It seems that I've been let off with a smaller punishment than I was originally intended to get! And that punishment is that I cannot be your tour guide through the school! You all will have to investigate this floor on your own! So, good luck...." Monokuma explains to us  and afterwords, he vanishes! How does he do that?!

"Hey, wait! Come back here! That's not a punishment!" Monica yells as she attempts to run after him, only to be grabbed in a iron grip by Rose. 

"It's no use." Rose tells her simply, her voice void of inflection.

"What do mean? He has to pay for that! That wasn't right!" Monica tells her as she attempts to squirm free of Rose's claws.

"I know that! But we can't do anything about it as long as he's still in control! So, I suggest we let it go for now and just investigate the First Floor. We don't really know what's down here after all, so it would probably be smart to get accustomed to our surroundings so we're not blindsided by something." Rose explains to us all, releasing her grip on Monica at the end, probably feeling that she won't be running after Monokuma like before.

"But, how do we do that? This floor has a lot to cover." Fatima asks Rose.

"I was thinking that we'd split up into teams of two. Ben and Julian will obviously be paired together, same with Claus and Ufelia since they're all seen as pairs anyways, so it's easy to not split them up. Then, Monica can pair up with Sherry-Anne, Angela can pair up with Jane, Fatima, you can pair up with Gabriel, Patty can pair up with Gomez, Rhys can pair up with Topaz, and that leaves Byron with me. Is that okay with you all?" 

I look around and I see everyone moving towards their partner as Julian come towards me until he's right by my side, which I'm thankful for. I'm completely fine with pairing up with Julian. It's embarrassing that everyone else knows that too now, but still. I'm not sacrificing my friendship with Julian over something dumb, and him so willing to work with me shows that he's still fine with being friends with me. Good, I'm glad!

"Okay then, let's leave and reconvene her after each team finishes searching room thoroughly. Leave no stone unturned. I have faith in you all!" Rose tells us, and I feel an ounce of confidence that was just stripped from me return to me. Rose has this energy about her than totally contradicts her cold demeanor, a fire that burns within every natural born leader. It's no wonder how she got here in the first place, her leadership skills are amazing to witness. Julian and I leave the Cafeteria with the others and we all go our separate ways, each of us entering one of  the rooms closed off from us on that first day. I see a sign outside one of the rooms with "American Room" engraved on it's surface and it confuses me greatly. What's it's purpose?

"Why would Monokuma have an American Room? It doesn't make any sense." I ask Julian, knowing that he doesn't have an answer to my question either.

"I don't know, but let's find out." he tells me as he opens the door and the first thing I see is a huge glass ball in the middle of the room, mirrored glass covering it's surface.

"Wh-What is all this?!" I ask him as I scan the room, analyzing the different items spread across the entire interior. Julian immediately moves to a note and reads it to himself, why would there be a note card here at all?

"It says here that this room symbolizes an American New Year and that every item holds some significance to how we celebrate the New Year." he tells me, which helps me start putting the pieces together. Besides, this is the New Years Floor after all. "That explains the huge disco ball. It's the NYC Ball Drop."

"Yeah, that makes sense now at least. So let's look around. Monokuma put this stuff here for a reason." I tell him as I move around to a table lined with green, glass bottles. I pick one up to read the label and I learn that it's a bottle of sparkling, non-alcoholic wine.

"Hey Julian, there's a lot of bottles of sparkling wine here." I tell him as he moves towards me and examines the bottle.

"Of course he wouldn't give us actual wine, why would he do that?" Julian says to himself fictitiously, annoyed by Monokuma's display and alcoholic taunts.

"Well, I guess it's better that way. We don't want anyone hurting themselves getting drunk." I tell him as I put the bottle back.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." he tells me, moving towards a speaker set up on another table, an iPod connected to it and everything.

"Huh, there's only one song on here." he informs me and when I look at the screen, I realize that he's right. But why would there only be one song? Just as I'm about to ask him, he turns it on and the song reverberates within the room with it's haunting melody. I can feel the lyrics and the bass echo through my feet as the song  plays and I know that this song will be stuck in my head for all the wrong reasons.

 

 

 _Should auld acquaintance be forgot_  
_And never brought to mind_  
_Should auld acquaintance be forgot_  
_And days of auld lang syne_  
_And there's a hand, my trusty friend_  
_And gie's a hand to thine_  
_We'll take a cup of kindness yet_  
_For auld lang syne_

 _For auld lang syne, my dear_  
_For auld lang syne_  
_We'll take a cup of kindness yet_  
_For auld lang syne_

 _Should auld acquaintance be forgot_  
_And never brought to mind_  
_Should auld acquaintance be forgot_  
_And days of auld lang syne_

 _For auld lang syne, my dear_  
_For auld lang syne_  
_Should auld acquaintance be forgot_  
_And days of auld lang syne_  
_For auld lang syne_

 

When the song ends, Julian turns off the stereo and stares at me for a moment, he himself awestruck by the lyrics. Why would Monokuma have this on here?

"The song's called 'Auld Lang Syne' I guess. It's beautiful, but why did he choose this song?" Julian asks me as he continues to stare at the source if music. However, I just move on to a different item, the huge crate of fireworks in the corner I didn't realize was there. I have never seen so many fireworks in a room at once! It's kinda scary to be completely honest.

"There are a LOT of fireworks here. And all different kinds too! Big, small, explosive, safer, but still explosive, every type you could think of!" I tell him as I bend down to examine the fireworks more thoroughly. These things are really dangerous! I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of any of these! 

"Wait, is Monokuma giving us murder weapons?" Julian asks looking at me in a tamed horror. The realization comes to my mind that he may be right! This is a game of murder after all! It's not that far fetched to think he would supply us with weapons obvious and not obvious alike!

"That's a really scary thought." I tell him. "I wonder if the other's came to that realization too."

"Let's hope." he tells me as he helps me up from my position on the ground. He smiles at me as he resumes with our search.

I move towards the table covered with an assortment of different colored underwear, reds, blues, whites blacks, greens, every color you you could think of!

"What are the underwear for?" I ask Julian, inviting him over to my table.

"I have no idea, I checked every one just in case and  the only thing I found out  is that they're soft as hell. You might wanna take one before someone else does, I did." he tells me before reaching in his backpack and pulling out a pair of grey briefs. He took the color of my backpack?! Oh my god! I can't look at him right now! I turn my head to the table at his choice of color, his unconscious choice or not. I look at the table and I notice a baby blue pair, one that matches Julian's backpack. If anything, I've learned how to tease a guy, so I look at Julian as I choose the baby blue pair and put them in my backpack. Just like I predicted, Julian's face gets red and flustered as he hurries to put his pair back in his bag. God, he's so fucking cute!

"A-Anyways, how about these grapes here!" Julian says as he rushes to change the subject.

"Wait, wait, wait." I tell him. "There's something else here. These colors seem familiar, don't you think?"

Julian walk back to me to examine the table once more and I hope he notices what I do.

"There the colors of our backpacks, one for each of us." he tells me as I release a breath I didn't know I held during it. I'm glad he's learning to pay more attention to detail at least.

"I wonder why Monokuma set it up like that?" he asks me as he looks at me questioningly. 

"I don't know. You were talking about grapes before?" I ask him as he leads me to the table where a single bowl of grapes sits. But for a bowl of grapes, the amount doesn't seem to be all that much at all. 

"How come I can see more bowl than any actual grapes?" I ask Julian, hoping for an explanation. "Did you eat them already?"

"No, I didn't! I swear! They were like that! See? There's supposed to be like that!" he tells me as he hands me another notecard. I read it and it tells me that the bowl is only allowed to have 12 grapes in it to stay true to the tradition. What tradition?! 

"Apparently they restock everyday too so they don't go bad, which I understand, but what's the purpose?" Julian ponders, not really wanting an answer, so I just continue to the last noticeable thing in the room. A collection of stone bowls next to the grapes with a grinding stone inside them. There was another card under in, so I take it out and read it out loud.

"'It's customary in the United States to get molten lead readings, where the final shape of the molten lead can predict your future'? So that's what these bowls are for?" I ask to myself. I feel Julian reading the card behind my shoulder, his hot breath on my neck sending pleasing shivers down my spine. My god, that will never get old, and I'm okay with that.

"Hmmm, it doesn't seem like it's important, but let's head back. Hopefully everyone found something important." he says as he heads to the door, but I don't want him to leave yet. I still need to talk to him and make sure we're good.

"Actually Julian, can I talk to you?" I ask him, which halts his movement to the door.

"Yeah, of course Benji. Shoot." he tells me with one of his hands on his hip.

"Well, um," I begin. "I was just wondering if you're okay. You know, with me staying in your room. If today was too much, I can leave and we can just pretend that nothing happened! I don't want you to get in trouble for me." I tell him, hiding my face from him to hide the inevitable disappointment across my face. But, all I feel is Julian's hands on my shoulder and I look up to him smiling knowingly. Where's the rejection? Where's the pain of losing a friend? Isn't that what's suppose to happen?

"Benji, you don't have to do that. Is that's what's been bothering you the whole time?" he asks me, making me kinda confused. What does he mean?

"Dude, your face has looked like you needed to shit, but there wasn't a bathroom anywhere! Were you really worried that I wouldn't want to hang out with you after what happened?" Really? Did my face look like that the entire time?! Also, why did he compare my face to that?!

"Well, aren't you?! I'm not worth all of the stares or the gossip or anything! You'd be better off!" I tell him, well actually, yell at him as tears threaten to escape my eyes, but I try with all my might to keep them in.

"What are you talking about?! Of course you are!" he yells back at me, freezing me where I am and just stare at him in shock. What did he say?

"Wh-What?" I ask him as his words finally register in my mind.

"Ben, you're worth so much more than you give yourself credit for! I don't care about the staring and the whispers! You're my friend and I'm not losing you to this game! Do I make myself clear?!" he asks me as he rubs my shoulders consolingly. "Benji. Do you understand? I won't leave you. At all."

I ingest his word into my mind, fully comprehending what he's said to me. He's really not gonna push me away? He's still gonna be friends with me? 

"Why?" I ask him, feeling the tears one by one fall. "Why are so nice to me?! You're not like this with anyone else, so what makes me different?! You allow me to stay in your room, you defend me when you don't have to, you throw away my trash, you cuddle with me, and you console me when I'm being a fucking mess! Why?!" I yell at him, misplaced anger aimed directly at him and I see his face go through a wave of emotions from shocked, to hurt, to fear. 

"Because you're important to me." he tells me softly and simply, like the answer should've been obvious to me. Well, I wasn't expecting that. That's new.

"Now, can you please calm down? I won't abandon you, okay? I can't abandon you. We don't have to leave until you calm down, okay?" he tells me as he places his hands on my shoulders, rubbing them like he was before. I can feel my anxieties and my fears dissipate with his soothing words. He's literally a god send!

"Wh-What would I do without you?" I ask him with a chuckle, laughing at my own ridiculous behavior

"I don't know. Probably crying in a corner or something. But I'm here, so you don't have to do that." he tells me as he changes from his soothing rubs to a heartfelt hug and with that, I feel better. He's single-handedly quenched my worries, fears, and anxiety with his words. And it feels so good! I know now that through everything, he'll still stand by me and I can't thank him enough!

"Okay." I tell him as I break away from his hug. "I think I'm ready to go." 

"You sure? I don't mind staying for a little while longer if you need to." Julian tells me, his eyes filled with understanding and worry.

"Yeah, I'm sure...thank you Julian." I tell him, showing a little hint of a smile.

"No problem, if you need anything, just ask me."

And after he says that, he opens the door and we head back to the Cafeteria and I'm thankful to see that we're not the last team to arrive. Pretty close, but not last.

"You two took forever, why did you take so long?" Rose asks us, suspicion clear across her face.

"Rose, relax. you told us to thoroughly inspect everything , so we did. That's all, right Benji?" Julian asks me, hiding our little argument from her.

"Y-Yeah. We just did what you asked of us. What's wrong with that?" I ask her, trying to play off of her ego, which, I'm guessing there's a lot of.

"Why is your face blotchy?" she asks me, immediately honing in on the fact that I've been crying.

"I've been crying. So what?" I tell her, my hands folded across my chest, challenging her to try and find a fault in my statement.

"Well, are you okay? I know what happened was hard on you." she asks me, surprising me with her concern for my well-being.

"Yeah, I am now. Thank you." I tell her, in which she nods her head in acknowledgement.

"Well, now that everyone's back and you're done with your sentimental bullshit, can we discuss what we've found?" Byron asks us without an ounce of patience in his, interrupting me and Rose. Geez, what a dick!

"Byron, don't be rude." Rose says to him as she glares in his direction, demanding the obedience which he gladly gives with a glare in my direction. Wait, when did this dynamic happen? When did Byron listen to anybody?

"Okay, lets begin, we'll have one person from each team tell us what they've found. It'll go smoother that way. Byron and I went to the Pool and Training Area, where we found the typical pool supplies like a pool strainer, pool floats, a gallon of chlorine, a pool ring in case of emergencies, and a set of lockers with one having a life guard uniform in the Pool Area. In the Training Area, there are training equipment all throughout the room, including dumbbells, bench presses, some ellipticals, and gymnastics mats on the floor. We weren't able to find anything else I'm afraid. Does anyone else want to disclose what they've found?" Rose asks and Ufelia stands up, offering to go next.

"Well, Claus and I went to the Storage Room to see what exactly was in there an we found a lot. There is everything you could possibly imagine in that room, an assortment of clothes, athletic equipment like javelins, croquet balls, outdoor stuff like that, and basically anything we need to survive. There's even boxes of trail mix in there, sealed up in Tupperware containers. But that's the extent of what we found. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary in there." Ufelia tells us, looking at Claus for confirmation, which he nods his head in agreement.

"Fatima and I went to the Laundry Room and there was a bunch of hampers to put our clothes in, dryer sheets by the dozen, laundry detergent in any scent you could think of, and a line of washers on one side of the room and a line of dryers on the other. Nothing else of note though." Gabriel explains on behalf of him and Fatima.

"Gomez and I inspected the dorms more in depth and we discovered the on the other side of the dorms, there are a Boy's and a Girl's Showering Room along with a Trash Room. Monokuma himself told us that the trash gets emptied everyday at 8 AM in the morning before he disappears like he usually does. In the showers, Gomez helped me realize that there is a closet filled with towels in each shower, pink towels for girls and blue for the boys. I don't really understand why there are showers there if we could just shower in our room, but whatever, that's all there was there." Patty tells us, irritated by the pointlessness of there being two different places to shower.

"Actually, I know from experience that the water in our rooms are off during Nighttime." Julian begins to explain. "I wake up at around 6:30 everyday and I take a shower, but when I went to take one, I realized that the water was off. Monokuma then showed up and told me about the Shower Rooms being on 24/7, so I went there instead this morning."

"Oh, okay. That makes more sense now. Thank you." Patty tells Julian who just nods in acknowledgement. But now that he mentions that, I do remember there not being any signs of him taking a shower in our room. No steam, no fog on the mirror, and the floor wasn't wet, or condensation on any surface in the bathroom! I would've noticed something like that walking in this morning.

"Monica and I went to the Gymnasium and the Trophy Room to see if there was anything of note that we missed, but there's literally nothing. We even tried to see how Monokuma does his disappearing act, but there's no escape hatch, or anything like that! So I don't know where he goes!" Sherry-Anne tells us, which is interesting. How does Monokuma appear and reappear like he does? Maybe we'll figure it out soon.

"Jane and I went to the Office and there's nothing really there. There was a front desk, and two rooms in the back, both locked I'm afraid. I wasn't even able to look inside with there being no windows inside.There was, however, a drawer that wouldn't open and there wasn't a key anywhere in the Office." Angela tells us. The main thing that concerns me about the office is the drawer, why is it locked? Is there a certain reason why it's locked?

"Julian and I went to the American Room, where literally everything in there represents how America celebrates their New Year's. There was a room-sized replica of the NYC Ball Drop, a bunch of stone bowls used to grind things, a singular bowl of 12 grapes that gets restocked everyday, a stereo setup with an iPod attached to it that only plays one song: Auld Lang Syne, and there was an array of different colored underwear, one for each of us with our backpack color. There was also a crate of fireworks in the corner, a vast assortment of them, large and small, but all dangerous." I warn them, glad that I was able to fish that out of my memory. 

"Wait, underwear for everyone? Even women's...panties?" Rhys asks me, his eyes lit up in pure excitement.

"Small child, can you not be so disgusting and tell us something important?" Ufelia requests of him, wanting to change off of his lewdness.

"My apologies m'lady." Rhys tells her as he bows like a complete gentleman. "Anyways Benjamin, you have fireworks as well?"

"Yeah, why? Did your room have some as well?"

"Not only that, but we had underwear too! In the Chinese Room, it told Topaz and I that everything in the room represented how China celebrated New Year's. There was a crate of fireworks in the corner like yours, but our beautiful display of underwear was all red. There were at least three kumquat trees lining up against the wall with a plate of raw fish that also gets recycled each day, just like your grapes. There's a dragon dance costume hung up on the wall, the scary mask and all! There were red envelopes and letters on a table for some reason and, unlike your room, the Chinese Room has an instruction manual on how to use the dangerous items in the crate. I opened the book and the pages weren't front to back, there was one side with plain old English, but on the back, there were a bunch of dots on the back." Rhys discloses to us. So, the American Room and the Chinese Room have a lot of similarities to it. 

"Rhys, were the dots raised a little so you could feel them?" Rose asks him, her face and tone both emotionless.

"Why yes, they did. Why?" he asks her, probably confused on why it's important.

"It's Braille. For Jane." Rose answers him, and it makes complete sense to me. How else was she gonna read it?

"Oh, really? Monokuma did that for me?" Jane asks Rose, her timid nature carrying over to her voice.

"Why of course I did! Did you think I was gonna exclude you sweetie?!"

And out of nowhere, Monokuma appears right beside Jane and she shrieks out of fear and runs behind Angela, seeking protection behind her tall stature.

"Monokuma, what do you want?" Rose asks impatiently, obviously wanting to talk about hat we found more in detail and I don't blame her. There's a lot of questions unanswered.

"Oh, come on now Rosemary! I just wanted to congratulate you for a job well done! You really went all Sherlock Holmes in your investigation! I couldn't be any prouder of my students!" Monokuma tells us as he wipes away a fake tear from his eye. "Anyways, I'll be off, have fun you guys! And just so you know, you WON'T get any answers to your questions out of me, so try someone else!" 

And with that, he's gone, leaving an air of mystery even more so. I genuinely feel that we won't know anything about the fireworks, the locked drawer, the water control, anything until he reveals them to us, which won't be soon at all.

"Well, with that, I feel like we've done everything we can think of. He even said that we won't get any answers unless he wants to answer them, so we'll just have to end it with that. Thank you guys, enjoy your day."

And with that, I see my classmates leave the Cafeteria, talking among themselves. But I only have one question on my mind right now: what should I do today?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked it! this is way longer than I intended to have it be, but when your imagination leads you somewhere, you follow it, you know? Anyways, now you get to decide who Ben talks to during the Free Time Events, or at least, my version of them. As you can tell, this story is gonna be way more fleshed out and way more darker than the original series. I should probably tell you that nothing that went on in the original series happened in this story. This is completely my story and the games' story plot has nothing to do with this story. Which means, no Junko Enoshima sadly. I want this story to be as original as it can be and that would be betraying my story telling if I add her. Anyways I hope you enjoyed and I'll catch you later!  
> This is a picture of Rosemary Pegasus, the Ultimate Girl Scout graciously drawn by a great friend of mine <3


	5. Chapter One: Be Careful What You Wish For PART FOUR

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope's Peak Academy heralds the best of the best students from across the nation to gather at one place to hone and enhance their specific talents, igniting the hope of society to see a better and brighter tomorrow behind the smiles and eyes of those chosen to attend. The America Chapter of the academy has just begun to recruit and Benjamin Brown has been chosen as the Senior Class' Ultimate Lucky Student, randomly drawn from a nationwide lottery. To be chosen to attend a prestigious school, he has to be lucky right? Well he thought, until his world was turned upside down as soon as he entered the school. The school where a single bad decision can get you killed, robbing you of the hope that can quell the hunger of despair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I absolutely DO NOT own anything Danganronpa, the rights and the thanks go to Kazutaka Kodaka and Spike Chunsoft. However, I do own every character except for one, which you will see eventually. I own all of the students basically. I hope you enjoy and I do take feedback, so comment to your hearts content!

 

What should I do today? I can't just sit around and do nothing all day! I'd go crazy if I didn't do something! Everyone seems to be trickling out of the Cafeteria, that is, except for one person. I look over at Jane, who is still picking at her grapefruit with a forlorn expression and a spoon with an incredible lack of fruit. Did she not eat the entire time? I feel a nudge on my shoulder and I look and see Julian looking down at me.

"Hey, are you coming?" he asks and I would like to hang out with him, but it just hurts my heart to see Jane looking so sad like that, and I should probably make sure she eats as well.

"Uh, no actually. But I'll catch you later?" 

"Oh, yeah, sure. Wanna meet here for lunch?" he replies, which is a different reaction than what I thought, but I'm not complaining. I'm just glad I didn't offend him, or anyone for who's opinions actually matter to me, aka not Byron.

"Yeah, sure. I'll see you then." And for the first time I've stepped into here, I'm not attached at Julian's hip. Honestly, I'm kinda glad that I'm on my own for a bit. I know it's not his fault, but I have to play a game of pretend with him every time I have a conversation with him. I really like him, like a lot, but I feel myself getting too attached to him. Like he's my lifeline. I shouldn't be trusting him, but I can't help but feel like I can count on him. I'm glad that I can have a friend like him, even if my heart is telling me to seek something more. Thank god I'm logical or else I might do something that I'd regret. I'm not ready for relationships and stuff like that anyways, not until I'm ready to let go of everything.

I walk over to Jane as she's about to throw away her food, about to leave it untouched for the flies. Oh no, nope, she's not gonna starve on my watch. She thought.

"Hey Jane." I say as I link arms with her, leading her towards the kitchen. I can see the panic written across her face, but I must push forward! I can't give in to her fragile personality!

"U-Uh hi! What are you doing?!"  

"I just thought we'd hang out. You know, in the Kitchen! With food!" I say as I make a final push into the Kitchen, opening up to any and all remnant of breakfast disappeared. Vanished. It makes sense I guess, but I'll make due.

I scour the cabinets, finding a huge collection of ingredients and even more possibilities. What can I make for Jane? I wanted to surprise her a little, but I guess I'll just have to ask her. I turn towards the small girl with a smile on my face, at which she recoils in shock.

Jane's tray begins to tremble in fear, not dramatically, but in a way that I would notice and stutters, "Wh-Wh-What? Why are you looking at me like th-that?"

"Nothing. I just want to know what you wanna eat. There's nothing else you can do in a kitchen really."

"Y-You're hungry again? B-B-But didn't we just eat? How are you eating again?"

Seeing how she didn't point out her own error, I turn back towards the cabinets and reply, "Correction, _we_ all just ate. You didn't, so what do you want?" 

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Jane slowly hiding her tray behind her back, afraid that I'd see her uneaten grapefruit. Unknown to her, I've already seen her not eat it, bringing her here was proof of that. 

"I don't know wh-wh-what you're talking a-about! Of course I ate breakfast!", a fear of being found out written plain across her face as she attempts to make me believe her.

"Really? What's behind your back? A tray? With your grapefruit on it? Uneaten? No matter what you say, we both know you didn't eat today Jane."

And to that, her face falters, a look of guilt and shame very evident. She brings the lunch tray out of hiding and places it on the Kitchen Island, pulls out and sits on one of the chairs. I move towards the island and I take a seat next to the blind girl, cautious not to scare her.

"Jane, you're my friend and I want you to be your very best in this twisted game. I don't want you to get sick or anything, you know?" In response, Jane turns her head away from mine, trying to hide her emotions from me. 

"So Jane, do you want to tell me why you can't or don't feel like eating?" 

Jane pauses for a moment before I see a single tear that became a waterfall of tears pouring from behind her sunglasses, her body trembling in fear.

"I'm so scared Ben! I don't want to die!" Jane exclaims before diving head first into my chest, her sobs drowns everything around us that could possibly make any noise, her sadness uninterrupted.

"I-I'm just so nervous all the time! I constantly feel like I have to listen more closely just in case someone tries to get me, like I can't trust the people I should! I'm not stupid! I kn-kn-know that I'm an easy target for any one of you!"

"Jane! You can't think like that! That'll only make you more paranoid and you need to focus!" Jane looks at me in shock as the words leave my mouth, her tears halting their endless stream just as quickly. "You need to get a grip! You're stronger than you think and if anyone tells you differently, you show them how strong you are. Not just anyone can live the life you do and find a way to cope with it."

"D-Do you really think so?" Jane asks me as she wipes her stray tears off of her face, her entire presence becoming more calm.

"It doesn't matter what I think, do you think so? Only your opinion matters."

Jane ponders for a moment before showing the biggest smile I've seen her make since we've gotten here. "Thank you Ben! That helped a lot! I'm glad you're here!" she replies to me, any trace of sadness forgotten.

We stay there and hang out for a while longer before I look at the clock above the Kitchen door. It's almost lunch time, at least according to the clock. Jane promises me that she'll eat lunch since she missed out on breakfast, which I'm thankful for. I feel like I know Jane a lot better than before. I used to see her as this girl that was just short and afraid, but there's way more to her than meets the eye! 

Soon enough, everyone begins to pour in, filling out the emptiness of the Cafeteria and the Kitchen. Jane and I have the privilege of a head start since we were already in the Kitchen and I immediately go towards heaven itself: pepperoni pizza. The gooey cheese, the taste of grease, the savory taste of pepperoni, am I dreaming? I grab two slices for now, a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos and a bottle of Sprite (because, why not?) before I go to my table, seeing the familiar faces I've come to expect.

"Hey sweetie, how's you're morning been?" Angela asks me, taking a sip of soda afterwords through a straw.

"I've just been hanging out with Jane, but besides that, eh."

"Yep, me too." Fatima shares as she eats her mac and cheese, her fork held ever-so-delicately.

Julian takes a bite of his cheeseburger before he begins speaking as well, "I've just been exploring more of the Storage Room." He swallows his food before continuing. "I'm surprised that there's trail mix in there. It completely contradicts the Nighttime Rule for the Kitchen doesn't it?"

"Yeah, I suppose it does." Angela replies, her arms folded in curiosity.

Jane gasps, causing us to turn in confusion, startled expressions on all of our faces. "Oh, um, s-sorry. I was just th-thinking that if we ever want a snack at night, we could just go there!" 

I shrug before saying, "I mean, she's not wrong." I take a chip and I put it in my mouth, enjoying every crunch it makes in my mouth.

"Yes, but it would be much safer if we just stay inside our rooms at night. We don't want to take any unnecessary risks." Angela concurs, putting not one, not two, but maybe ten french fries in her mouth! And after that, her lipstick still stayed intact! I can't help myself but to stare in shock and awe, and I'm not the only one! Julian and Fatima are both doing the same, amazed by the woman's impeccable appetite! Jane is the only one that didn't react, but that's for a different, obvious reason. Angela's eyes grew wide as she realizes that we are staring at her.

"Um, may I help you?", her glare fixated on me, forcing me to readjust myself. At least she looks just as beautiful angry. Not a lot of people are these days.

"No, no, no! It's nothing! I was just surprised that you ate that much! You don't look like someone that would eat like that! That's all." I say in our defense, Julian and Fatima emitting sounds of agreement.

"What?! That's so rude!" Jane tells us in a disciplinary manner. My head looks down in shame after realizing my mistakes.

"I'm sorry Angela."

"Yes, I am sorry. I should not have been so mean to a friend of mine." Fatima tells Angela, which is immediately followed by Julian's apology.

"Well, thank you. It's not uncommon for people to forget that I have balls and a dick."

"Wh-Wh-WHAT?!" Jane's shock at the new revelation echoes across the Cafeteria, drawing attention to our table. Rose immediately goes into hard ass mode and marches over to our table. Everyone else watches in anticipation, absorbing the suspense, the drama.

"Is there a problem? Jane?" Rose asks the girl with her hands firmly grasped on her hips and her tone hard and clear.

"Oh hun, no! Everything's fine. She just forgot that I'm a guy. That's all!" Angela states in Jane's defense.

"Yeah! Th-That's exactly r-r-right! I'm sorry!" Jane tries her best not to cry, but to no avail.

It was no use. Rose's voice just gets more pointed as the confrontation goes on, her words harsher with every second."Well, by the startled scream, I could only assume that something was very wrong. Is that a fair assumption Jane?"

"Yes! I'm sorry! I-"

"You won't do this again. Will you Jane?"

I can't help but feel rage boil within myself as I witness Rose being so rude to, not only Jane, but all of us. Does she really think this is helping?! We aren't her inferiors, we all have Ultimate Talents! Even I have one(no matter how meaningless it really is.), so why does she think she can treat others like this?! I would expect this behavior of Byron, but not from Rose!

"Do you like bullying little girls Rose?"

We all turn to Patty, simply sipping her water through a straw, not phased by what she just said. Everyone at Patty's table, in particular, are looking like hell froze over. Rhys looks like he was about to puke as he shakes in terror while the twins gave each other concerned looks as they can probably foresee the disaster that was awaiting the barbershop singer. I mean, I'm glad someone said something, but jeez. Anyone that stands up to Rose like that is asking for a death wish. 

"P-Patty? Do you really want to provoke the girl scout with the nice, voluptuous legs? She looks like she could kill you just by looking at you!" warns the frightened Rhys, but I don't fail to recognize his perverted compliment about Rose. Even his eyes behind his larger-than-life glasses showed his adulterated desire. But, I notice that his comment wasn't only caught by myself. Claus and Ufelia look at each other, both wearing expressions filled with annoyance and detestment.

"Hey, Rhys, sweetie," began Ufelia, who's completely embodying the meaning of patronizing. As if her worth was substantially more than his. Like he's nothing but an insignificant ant on the bottom of Ufelia's expensive Lou Vuitton stilettos. "Can, you not be a disgusting human being for one second? I'm sure everyone and anyone would appreciate that."

"I do very much agree with my darling sister. In fact, I'm sure every time you speak a sentence, stillborn occurs. So, you know, thanks for that." Claus added, making the twins' combined attack potent with toxins. Toxins that I feel, if aimed towards me, would destroy my very existence.

But I lose interest in their conversation quickly as I see Rose leaving the Cafeteria, leaving behind her tray of food as well.

I begin to get out of my seat, yelling out to her, "H-Hey Rose! Where are you going?" 

"Just leave her." Patty says as she throws away her trash. "She obviously doesn't want to be around us, so why pressure her?"

"That's true, but you didn't have to accuse her of bullying."

That bestows an incredulously flabbergasted smile on Patty's face, like she's surprised I'm not as against Rose as she is.

"Are you serious? She yells at your friend and you defend her?"

"Dude, it was taken out of context, anyone could've mistaken that." Julian informs her, hopefully quelling the conflict between Patty and I. At least I hope it does anyways, I don't want to add her to the list of people that don't like me.

"Y-Y-Yes, it was. B-Besides, Rose and I just t-talked things out. Sh-She kn-kn-knows now. She even apologized." Jane reveals, which comes to a complete surprise to me, Rose has been a hard ass so far, so I never would've expected her to admit to her wrongs.

"Well, that settles that then, doesn't it Ben?" Patty shoots at me before walking out, her silver stilettos clacking with the floor with each poised step.

Lunch ended quickly after that, each of us going our separate ways, but before I could leave, Fatima pulls me to the side, away from everyone else. I couldn't fathom what she would want, but sure, I'll bite.

Fatima puts her hands on her hips before asking me, "Hey, I want to look around some more. Do you want to come with me?"

"Oh, yeah sure. I thought you were gonna tell me something more important."

Fatima glares at me, her eyebrow raised in a questioning manner. "What is that supposed to mean Benjamin?"

Realizing what I just said, I quickly scramble to redeem myself. "Oh god! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you or anything! Just the way you pulled me aside, I thought it was something dire, that's all. I'll still gladly go with you."

"Oh, okay. Let's go then."

She leads me all throughout the school, ultimately taking me to the Training Room. Specifically, the Equipment Room. I stand next to the door as she rummages through a bunch of boxes and crates until she excitedly walks towards me with a basketball in her hand. 

"Okay, we shall go to the Gym now." Fatima orders as she leaves, basketball in tow.

Why did she want a basketball of all things? I thought we were looking around, so why does Fatima want a basketball? We arrive at the Gymnasium and Fatima begins to dribble the ball, she's not the best, but at least she's better than I am.

"So, I was thinking we can play for a bit and get to know each other more. It's better than doing nothing all day, right?"

"I guess so," I begin. "But you didn't have to lie to get me to hang out with you."

Fatima lets out a sigh at my comment, a sigh full of disappointment. "I am sorry. I should not have done that."

"Then why did you? You're my friend, I would've hung out with you anyways."

"I do not know okay?!" Fatima exclaimed as she slammed the basketball down on the hardwood floor, sending a frightened chill down my spine. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I jumped at least two whole feet away from my original position. It scared the living shit out of me!

Fatima walks back to the ball she just launched at the far end of the bleachers. Slowly, but she still made it. She walks back to me with her head held low, shame interwoven in her every movement, every mannerism she once had erased by the all too familiar feeling.

"I-I apologize for my rudeness. I do not know what has gotten into me just now."

"I mean, do you wanna talk about it? I'm a good listener." I sit down on the floor and pat a spot next to me for Fatima. She looks at the spot for a second before deciding to take the offer, fixing her dress and her hijab before sitting down.

"At home, I am not allowed to do a lot of things I want to do."

"What do you mean?" I ask, giving her my full attention. 

"My father is a very traditional man. He believes that men are allowed to do manly things and women must listen to their fathers and husbands. So, I am not even allowed to do things other girls my age are allowed to do like play softball, soccer, or even something trivial like debate with him about heavy topics, even though I have proven to him that I know what I am talking about! It just sickens me how little my father thinks of me and how he attempts to take credit for my contributions to some of the most important things on Earth, and when he does not get his way, he gets angry with me!"

At the end of her rant, she frustratingly puts her head in her hands, almost as if she's hiding from everything and everyone. I can't find it in me to disagree with her, if my dad ever suffocated me like hers does, I'd go ballistic! But still, I can't help but feel sorry for her, sorry that she has to deal with such a chauvinistic person as her father! But I can't bash on her family, that'd just be plain rude since I don't know them.

I place a hand on her shoulder, an attempt to comfort her brewing around in my mind. Finally feeling like I have the right words, I begin to speak to my friend.

"Hey Fatima." She lifts her head and looks at me after I get her attention, so I continue to tell her what I believe she needs to hear. "I don't personally know what your life at home is, or even how your parents are, but let me tell you this. If you don't like the way you're being treated, have you ever talked about it with them?"

She begins to recollect her memories to find the answer, but simply replies, "No, I do not believe so."

"Well, there you go! That's the problem! They may be your parents, but you're still a person and have every right to feel comfortable in your own home and with the ones you love! I'm not saying that you have to completely disrespect them, but just sit them down and talk things out with them. If they love you, they'd probably re-evaluate the way they've been treating you and make changes. At least, that's what my parents and I do."

"B-But you can not possibly understand how my parents are! That will never work!" Fatima yells as she bolts out of her seat, which startles me more than I would ever admit. "My father is incredibly stubborn and if my mother disagrees, she would never speak out against him! It is a constant impasse!"

"But you never know if you don't try Fatima!" And she stops and stares at me, eyes wide in shock. "You've helped restore and preserve so many landmarks and animals! If you stopped trying then, what would have happened to them? What state would they be in if no one stood up and fought for them?!"

Fatima seemingly begins to walk towards me, but she goes past me, towards the basketball. She picks it up and begins dribbling it once again, like she did earlier.

"Thank you Benjamin. You have inspired me greatly. I am ready to play now. Would you join me?" she asks as she shoots the ball, but misses by a huge margin.

I run towards the ball and bring it back to where she was. I begin to dribble, my concentration completely on the hoop above us.

"Yeah, that'd be awesome." I say to her as I shoot, missing the hoop by a larger amount than Fatima.

 

Fatima and I stay in the Gym for a while shooting and missing the basket many times. Actually making the basket was a pretty rare occurrence since neither of us are good at basketball, but whatever. It was for fun!  And I know a little more about Fatima, so that's a plus all around! After I finish hanging out with Fatima, I go back to my room for a bit and since I didn't take a shower this morning, I decide to take a shower before dinner.

I enter the room and I see that Julian isn't inside (thank god), and I begin to grab the clothes I'm gonna wear to dinner. Since it'll be Nighttime afterwords, I can probably just wear pajamas. If anyone sees a problem with it, they can suck my big toe to be honest, I don't give a single shit about their opinion. 

I grab the grey sweatpants I wore to bed last night and a new pair of underwear, which I can just take off after dinner when I brush my teeth or something. I think I'm gonna  wear the same red shirt I wore today, I don't want to dirty another shirt for at least an hour of socializing. I take off my shirt so I don't accidentally choke myself on the neck hole and when it's completely off, I rub a hand on my hairy stomach as I stretch and comfortably popping my joints. My pants are the next to go until I'm standing there, just in my underwear. I grab my towel and I go in the bathroom and lock the door behind me. You never know. Especially here.

I turn the dial to hot, but not too hot because knowing me, my sensitive skin would end up looking like fried chicken with hair on it. Now that doesn't sound appetizing at all! I feel with my hand that the running water is the temperature that I like, so I finally remove my underwear and step inside the glass walls, feeling the relaxing sensation overwhelm me from every angle and every crevice. I grab my loofah and lather it in body wash before rubbing it against my entire body, cleansing myself of the day's grime and bacteria. After ferociously cleaning my privates, I move on to conditioning and shampooing my beard and head hair, making me look like I naturally grew clouds out of my head. I hold my head under the running water until my creation is destroyed and I turn the dial off, comfortable with my meticulous cleaning.

 I step out of the shower and I dry myself with my towel and I put my lime green boxer briefs on, but I see myself in the mirror and my eyes lead directly to my scars. My glaring, ugly scars. Scars that I've never wanted, never asked for and yet, here they are. Forever a part of me, forever changing who I was to who I am today. It hurts that I've lost so much, yet gained so much, all at the same time. So many burdens. So many self conscious, self deprecating burdens. I need to get out of here, like, right now! I unlock the door and I rush out of the bathroom, escaping my hurtful, depressing thoughts.

"Um, hello?!"

"AAAAGH!!!!"

I swiftly turn around to find the source of the voice and why I screamed so inhumane-like, only to find Julian sitting on the bed with a pillow in his face.

"J-Julian?! What are you doing here?! Take that pillow out of your face!" I ask as I wrap the towel around my waist hastily.

Julian removed the pillow to reveal his beet-red face, full of embarrassment, a face I know all too well with him. "I was waiting for you! I couldn't find you anywhere, so I checked here, saw you were in the shower, so I decided to wait for you!"

"Okay?! Well, you scared the ever loving shit out of me!" I say as I move towards the dresser with my clothes in hand.

"I'm sorry, okay?! Jeez, I live here too!"

After he says this, I turn around and see his immense guilt written plain across his face, and all of my fear and anger melts away. How can I stay mad at him? He feels bad enough already!

"It's okay. Just-" I move towards the bathroom door and I stop and look at him. "Just let me get changed. I'll be out in a minute."

I close the door and I slowly put my clothes on and thinking about what just happened. Why do I feel so guilty? I know Julian feels so much guilt right now, but, why do I feel guilty? I can't help it, I guess. It's technically my own fault that I got scared. I did rush out of there like a bat out of hell after all.

Once I put on my sweatpants and my shirt, I slowly(this time) open the door so that what just happened doesn't happen again. I was expecting Julian to batter me with more apologies, but the room was dead silent except for the noises of me shuffling around the room. Wow, he's really upset isn't he? 

"H-Hey," I begin to say as I walk towards the boy cautiously, who hasn't looked at me yet. "I'm sorry about before. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. It was wrong of me."

Julian finally looks at me after I apologize and he returns the favor after a second. "I'm sorry too. I was just worried, that's all."

"Well, I appreciate that. And I appreciate you waiting for me, so thank you."

Julian dons a shy smile after I thank him and his face turns red again. "You're welcome. I'd do that anytime Benji!" And there's his famous smile! Okay, he's back!

"Great! I'd love that, as long as you warn me next time!"

He chuckles at my words before saying, "Believe me, I've learned my lesson."

 I couldn't help but reciprocate the lighthearted laughter, it's infectious! 

"Hey, I'm about to head to dinner, do you wanna come with?" I ask him, putting on my backpack and my shoes.

"Oh, yeah sure. I'm pretty starving."

"Okay, let's go."

But then, I remember something important. I might as well check him, just in case.

"Hey, Julian, do you have your backpack?"

"Oh, yeah. I never took it off this time."

Oh good, that's a relief! At least he remembered on his own, unlike this morning.

"Okay, good." 

Julian jogs ahead of me and opens the door for me, waving his hand like a bellhop at a luxurious hotel. "After you."

"Aw Julian, you don't have to do that for me! I'm very capable, you know."

"Well, humor me."

With that, we walk out of the room together and-

"WAIT!"

Julian and I turn around to see Topaz running towards us in a full on sprinting towards us, desperation on her face. When she catches up with us, she's completely out of breath and red in the face. 

"Hey, are you okay?!" I yell as I run to her, ready to offer the farmer assistance if she needs it.

"Oh yeah...I'm fine...It's just...my asthma!" Topaz tells us, still taking huge breaths of air between words. "I wanted...to catch up..with you guys!...Jesus Christ!!!"

"You know, you didn't have to run after us. We would've stopped for you." Julian informed her, but I do wonder why she felt like we wouldn't stop for her. But, then again, I never really talked to Topaz. I should definitely work on that not just with her, but with everyone.

"Oh, well that's good to know! I just didn't want to walk by myself!"

"Oh, that's fine! We'd be glad to walk with you! you seem nice enough!" I reassure her, and she returns the gesture with a toothy, gap toothed grin.

"Well, I like ya'll's attitude! You and I will get along just fine!"

I can understand why people call it "Southern Hospitality"! Topaz seems like a good, genuine soul that would do anything for her friends! The three of us walk together to the Cafeteria, but go our separate ways afterwords. Her sitting with Gomez, Gabriel and Monica while Julian and I going to Fatima, Jane, and Angela. 

"Hi, we're here." I inform them, Julian and I taking our seats.

"Hello hun, we just got here too, so don't worry." Angela discloses as she reapplies her blood red lipstick.

"Yes, we were waiting for you two to show up, so now, can we go get our food? I would rather not starve, thank you!" Fatima asks, and there's no reason for me to say no. I, myself, am very hungry and I know Julian is too!

The five of us leave our table and head towards the Kitchen, and I can't help but marvel at the beautiful display of breads, meats, breaded meats! I immediately go towards the basket of buffalo chicken tenders, sprinkled with chives. I grab two helpings of the stuff, but skip out on the blue cheese dipping sauce because it's the most disgusting, vile thing I've ever had the misfortune of tasting. I grab a chocolate cupcake and a bottle of Sprite to complete my last meal of the day and I head back to the table, surprised that I'm the first one back, especially before Fatima and Jane, who both never eat that much.

Soon though, my friends come back, and I don't have to entertain myself anymore, if you could call it that. 

"So, hun," Angela gestures to me, a fork full of pasta in her hand. "I see you chose to not wear your hoodie to dinner. Are you getting sick of it already?"

"Oh no, I just decided to wear my pajamas to dinner. I didn't feel like trying too hard if I'm just going to bed afterwords, you know?"

"Oh, well, good for you I guess." Angela takes a long sip of her water while looking off to the side, eyes wide. Did I say something or...?

"Anyways, what did you guys do today?" Julian asks us after taking a bite of his hot dog.

"I had a great time with B-B-Ben this m-morning! Him and I j-just went to the K-Kitchen to talk and eat!" Jane proudly says before she takes a big bite of her plain chicken tender. "B-But we didn't do all th-that much eating, we just l-l-lost track of t-time while talking, I think." 

"I did not do much this morning, but I took Benjamin to the Gymnasium to play basketball in the afternoon." Fatima informs everyone at the table, taking a sip of her strawberry Fanta afterwords.

Julian turns towards me with curiosity, "Oh, I didn't know you played basketball Benji." 

"I don't, like at all, but I thought I should try new things, so I said yes."

"You should have seen him Julian, he might have missed almost every basket, but he was great!" Fatima chimes in, her hand on my shoulder.

I take no time at all to correct her, telling him "Yeah, great at being awful."

 

"Oh, I'm sure you're not that terrible Benjamin!"

 

We all turn to the entrance and find our captor, Monokuma standing next to our table and I immediately get an uneasy feeling. Why is he here?!

"Ugh, can't you let us eat in peace you obnoxious brat?" Patty loudly says at her own table.

"I don't think he knows what peace is, or an'thing of the sort." Topaz discloses to us.

"Good observation, my chocolate, sugary malt ball! I'm anything but peaceful!" Monokuma says with such enthusiasm that I almost forget how racist he really was just now.

"Um, that is incredibly racist." Fatima tells him, obviously offended by his remark.

Just then, Byron breaks the chaos and says, "So why exactly are you here infant?"

"Oh, is that all you wanna know, ya chump?! Well, you gotta beg for it! Beg for it until I have no choice but to give it to you hard and rough!" There was absolutely no doubting Monokuma's lewd face. It felt so incredibly wrong, seeing his young face construe in such a sexual manner. Like, really?! 

"We are not going to submit to your fantasies, just tell us what you need to tell us and leave us alone." Rose sternly says as she glares at Monokuma's face, which is now full of fear.

"Jeez, fine! Well, I've been wonderin' why my students weren't slashin' and gashin' each other to ribbons! But then, I finally realize you have no inspiration! Nothing to drive you towards turning on your precious friends! So, without further ado: I will now introduce your First Motive!"

What?! A Motive?! What is he up to?!

"The First Motive is................a wish! And not just any wish! One personal wish that will be granted, no matter what! So, if you want one million smackaroos, true love, you'll get whatever your heart desires, no matter how impossible it may seem! How's that for a motive! Think of the possibilities!!!" 

Well, Monokuma loves to put on a show, I guess. One wish? That's absolutely ridiculous! Who, in their right mind, would fall for that crock of shit?!

"Monokuma, no one's gonna fall for that piece of shit Motive, try again next time though! Maybe you'll succeed, but I, and everyone here, know that you'll just fail again, so bye! Have fun!" I say as patronizing as I possibly can and, just like I hoped, Monokuma just disappeared through the cloud of smoke like he usually does.

I have to say, I think I burned him pretty well just now! I roasted his bitch ass and he can't do shit!

"What are we gonna do? We can't let him lay on motive after motive! Someone will surely give in!" Gomez says in a panic, his Spanish accent becoming more obvious than when he talks normally.

"No one is gonna give in! We're friends! We'd never betray each other!" Julian says to the masseur, trying his best to reassure him.

"Do you really think that?"

The whole Cafeteria turns to Byron, who's hands are folded, a knowing look on his face.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Julian asks him darkly, rising from his chair and moving towards the actor. I try my best to drag him back, but he just shrugs me off. Oh god, he's really mad isn't he?

"Do you honestly think no one is thinking about the Motive? At all? Newsflash you neanderthal: we all just met two days ago! You don't know shit about anyone or who they really are! You are so fucking naive that you would probably follow a dollar bill on a string and get shot in that ugly mug of yours! I wouldn't be surprised if it was your fucking lap dog over there! He'd have the perfect opportunity to off you and thank god for that!"

Oh, shit.

Julian's whole demeanor changes when Byron finishes his rant and the guy I've come to know has officially left the building. When Julian reaches him, Byron gets a face full of Julian's fist as he get's launched to the ground by the pure force of Julian's punch. Julian continues to obliterate Byron's face one punch after another, so I immediately rush out of my seat and run to Julian and force him off of Byron while Rose rushes to Byron's side. Julian struggles against my grasp as his desire to break every bone in Byron's body intensifies.

"You little bitch! Try that shit again! I fucking dare you!" Julian warns him, as I continue to struggle against his warpath.

"Julian, we're going to the room! Let's go!" I order as I push him outside the Cafeteria. "Fatima, can you take care of our trays?"

"Yes, of course. Good Night! Please stay safe." Fatima requests, before I leave with Julian in front of me, anger radiating off of his entire body.

We finally get to our door and I scan my tablet an we step inside and I close the door behind us.

"Are you fucking insane?!" I ask Julian, who is now pacing back and forth, restless with anger.

"What did you want me to do Benji?! Just let him say that stuff?!" 

"No, but you could've handled it way better than you did! Do you know how scared they were of you?! Do you know how scared our friends were?! We look up to you! You're the one that sparks hope that we can get out of here alive! You can't go and punch someone in the face if you don't like what they're saying!"

Julian gives me a twisted reaction before saying, "I'm sorry, but isn't that a little hypocritical of you, seeing as you punched him on the first day?!"  

"Yes! And I regret it a lot! I have three people that don't like me and don't trust me and one of them wishes death upon me! I have to live with that decision, the fear, and now you do too! You're better than that!"

Julian plops down on the bed in a huff, his eyes brimming with tears. "Well, clearly I'm not, now am I?"

"Julian," I begin, "Do you want to tell me why you did that? You know I won't say anything if you don't want me to."

"I know that." Julian answers. "It's just....the way he doubted everyone. He truly believes that everyone can kill if they're inspired enough! Why can't he just let us have a little sliver of unity here? Why does he just have to say something and put doubt in everyone's mind? We were having progress and now? I don't even know. I have no idea what to do with that cuckhold!

Damn, I felt every word, every dream, every fear he has. He has a lot of weight on his shoulders, even some of it unnecessary. Julian really does care about everyone here, even Byron, I think. He feels so strongly and everything he feels is amplified ten fold. I really hope no one hates him now, he doesn't deserve that at all. 

 "Julian, you think with your heart, from what I can tell, and I really do respect that about you. You act on instinct and do things no one would dare do if they thought it out! But, there comes a time when your strong feelings can get in the way if the right thing and ignores what your brain is telling you to do. The logical thing to do. You could've had a nontoxic discussion with Byron at dinner, but you were so clouded by your hatred of him and you disliking what he had to say, that you snapped. You need to control your temper around him and anyone that gets you upset, or else you'll lose everyone's trust. I'm not telling you to stop fighting for what you believe in, because I'd never tell you, or anyone that, but i am telling you to think about what the best decision is before you act. You'll see that you're making progress with everyone."

Julian pulls me in for a tight hug and I hug him back, but not quite as hard because I don't have his strength at all.

"Thank you Benji, I really needed that."

"No problem Julian, anytime!" 

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

A knock comes to the door, so I break out of the hug and I go to get it. I open it to find Rose standing there, her face void of expression, as usual.

"Benjamin, may I speak to you? Outside?"

"Uh, yeah sure. Hold on." 

I go to Julian and I tell him that I'll be back in a bit before I leave the room and meet Rose in the Dormitory Hallway.

"What you did today, it showed a lot of guts."

"Oh, uh, thank you Rose." I tell her, completely in shock that she complimented me, or even a resemblance of a compliment.

"You showed me how loyal you are to those you care about, and I have to say that i was wrong about you. In a lot of ways. I'll see you tomorrow Benjamin." 

And with that, she walks away, never giving me a chance to fully digest her words until she was in her room. I'm glad I've earned her respect and a little bit of her trust as well. Tonight was very eventful indeed, from Julian and Byron's fight to Rose's changed perception of me! I go back in the room, take off my backpack, and slide next to Julian in bed and I drift to my dreams, hoping for brighter days ahead of us and those we care about.

I know we can make it out together, I just know it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen, I am so sorry for the month delay! To be honest, I haven't felt inspired to finish this specific part for some reason, but I promise I am going back on track! Tell me what you guys think! Who do you hope to see more from? Who do you hope meets a grisly end? Who do you want to survive this entire mess? I hope you enjoyed! 
> 
> The drawing is of Jane Hilton the Ultimate Blind Role Model, drawn by a really good friend of mine!


	6. Chapter One: Be Careful What You Wish For PART FIVE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope's Peak Academy heralds the best of the best students from across the nation to gather at one place to hone and enhance their specific talents, igniting the hope of society to see a better and brighter tomorrow behind the smiles and eyes of those chosen to attend. The America Chapter of the academy has just begun to recruit and Benjamin Brown has been chosen as the Senior Class' Ultimate Lucky Student, randomly drawn from a nationwide lottery. To be chosen to attend a prestigious school, he has to be lucky right? Well he thought, until his world was turned upside down as soon as he entered the school. The school where a single bad decision can get you killed, robbing you of the hope that can quell the hunger of despair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I absolutely DO NOT own anything Danganronpa, the rights and the thanks go to Kazutaka Kodaka and Spike Chunsoft. However, I do own every character except for one, which you will see eventually. I own all of the students basically. I hope you enjoy and I do take feedback, so comment to your hearts content!

 

 

**DING DONG BING BONG!**

 

"Good  Morning everyone! It's now 7AM, which means Daytime has officially begun! I hope you enjoy a good breakfast and enjoy your despair-filled days!"

The familiar bell toll wakes me from my slumber, away from my dreams back to my nightmare. I pull the covers off of me as I rub the sleep from my eyes to see Julian on the other side of the bed, his face illuminated by something in his hands. I crawl my way over to the left side and look over his shoulders, my curiosity getting the better of me. 

Feeling my presence, Julian turns his head to face me. "Hey Benji, what's up?" he asks as he puts his e-Handbook down next to him. So, that's what he was looking at.

I simply answer "Nothin'." before I look beside him to see what exactly he was looking at on the e-Handbook, but his arm blocks it from my vision. "I was just wondering what you were looking at."

"Oh, come here." He pats the seat next to him and I do as I'm told, my long sweatpants dragging across the floor. 

When I take my seat, Julian pulls out his e-Handbook, which opens to an app I immediately recognize. It's a map of the entire First Floor of Hope's Peak; the New Year's Floor to be more exact. 

Julian begins his explanation, saying, "Okay, so you know how everyone wants to find a way out right?"

"Yeah, some more than others though..."

"Well, after yesterday, I thought I should look at the map again. You know, see if there was something we missed."

"But," I begin, "didn't we all not see anything, like at all? We searched pretty hard."

"Yeah, but I thought I'd look, just in case. I couldn't find anything though. I thought, 'Maybe someone missed something'! 'Maybe, just maybe I can find something and save everyone!' But," Julian's hand turns off the e-Handbook, the light previously illuminating the room in a hopeful, dim glow, is gone. It's just darkness now. "I couldn't find anything. It was a waste of time."

I place my hand consolingly on Julian's shoulder, a sign that he's not alone. A sign that, at least, I'm here.

"Julian, you can't give up. We're all tired, we're all desperate for a way out, but we've got something that can, and will, keep us together. We've got each other. We're all here, we've got Fatima, Jane, Angela, Rose, everybody! You can't give up on them, and you can't give up on me. We're gonna get out of here, with everyone by our side. Whoever kidnapped us, we can't let them win!"

Julian looked at me, his eyes brimmed with tears and he hugs me, and I hug him back. A feeling of protectiveness washes over me as I see one of the strongest people here breaking down over this Killing Game. I'm not gonna allow the Mastermind behind this get away with this crime! The sixteen of us, we can do this! I believe in each and every one of them, and we can beat this! We won't give them the despair they so desperately seek! We'll get out of here! We have to get out of here!

After Julian lets out his frustration and anger, I go to the bathroom to get dressed, sporting a baby blue shirt with my signature grey sweater, brushing my teeth afterwords before Julian and I leave our room. Looking at Julian now, he does look a lot better than he did before. I just hope I helped him even a little.

"Hey Benji." Julian says suddenly, breaking the silence in the hallway.

"Yeah?"

Turning around to face me, Julian opens his mouth to showcase a small, but noticeable smile, shining down on me."Thank you."

I can't stop the blush from spreading across my entire face, I almost look like a red balloon and believe me, that isn't flattering. "Oh stop, you'd do the same for me. You did do the same for me, remember?"

"Yeah, but it doesn't make me any less appreciative, you kn-"

Julian looks behind my head, his face contorts to one of confusion and curiosity. I turn my head and I notice that there are two envelopes tacked to the door, one with each of our names on it in fancy cursive writing. 

"We should probably open this, huh?" Julian asks me, removing both of our letters, handing me mine.

"Yeah, I guess."

I open my letter to find a vibrant, engraved letter decorated with fireworks that light up a night sky and a clock tower looming in the distance.

 

_Mr. Benjamin Brown,_

_You have been cordially invited to Monokuma's New Year's Bash to celebrate the beginning of the end!_

_Come enjoy some quality treatment as you count down to your final days of existence!_

_Food, Beverages, and a despairingly good time will be included!_

_Host: Headmaster Monokuma_

_Time: 11:00 PM_

_Place: The Gymnasium_

_RSVP @ Lunch Time_

 

 

Wait, does Monokuma seriously think that someone, if anyone, will actually go to this "celebration"? Why would anyone willingly do anything Monokuma requests?

"What do you think, Benji?" I hear Julian say, pulling me out of my begrudging thoughts.

"I don't trust this, like at all. No one would actually go, right? It could be another motive, knowing Monokuma."

 

Julian starts speed walking down the hallway, his own invitation in his hand. I begin to chase after him and I notice that there's an invitation on every door. I really hope that no one's gonna go. I really, really do. I realize quickly that Julian's leading me to the Cafeteria, probably looking for anyone to discuss this with. I do want to see other people's perspectives on this, but some others(a particular actor) can keep their comments to themselves.

Julian and I enter the Cafeteria, only to find it empty, except for the presences of Fatima and Jane sitting at our table. 

"Fatima, where  _is_ everybody? Where's Angela and Rose?" Julian asks rushing towards the robed girl as I finally catch up with him.

"Rose has gone to the Gymnasium to confront Monokuma about his celebration. She has taken Byron, Angela, and Sherry-Anne with her as allies."

"And the others?" I chimed in, letting only one of the many infuriating questions I have escape my mouth.

"Th-They're the only ones that arrived before y-y-you did! We have no idea wh-where everyone else i-i-is!" chimes Jane who, I'm sure, wanted to add to our conversation.

Almost as if on cue, I hear arguing from down the hall slowly building up volume and I see Ufelia and Claus followed by Rhys enter the Cafeteria, the twins wearing annoyed and furious looks with a hint of disgust. Rhys, however, looks like he's in pure, blissful heaven. Pretty strange considering the situation we're in.

"But, my delicate flower, why can't you see how much I care for you?" Rhys asks, I'm guessing, Ufelia, but you never know. It would be hypocritical for me to judge.

"Because she doesn't associate herself with trash like you. The sooner you get that, the sooner you can and should abandon you're fruitless endeavor! Do you understand, vous avortement dégoûtant ?" Claus tells the Mathematician, his face not faltering from his usual serene stature despite his venomous tone.

"I have no idea what that means, but I will never give up on claiming such an angel as my future wife. She'll love me...eventually..."

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Out of nowhere, Ufelia begins to uproariously laugh, sounding like a reincarnation of Lady Macbeth. Just pure evil. Her laugh even shocked her brother who is just staring at her in astonishment and amazement. Rhys just looks like he's trying to understand a joke someone told him. 

"If you really think that I, the beautiful and gorgeous Ufelia Benafonté will ever want to look at you, never mind love you, you are dumber than I thought you were! It was très mignon for a hot second, but I won't allow you to think that you actually have a chance with me. When I look at you, you remind me of a wart on the bottom of a cripple's unused, deteriorating foot! You are a disgrace to the title Ultimate and if you died tomorrow, no one will miss you."

After hearing the terrible things the twins were saying to Rhys, I immediately walk over there, hoping to break up the fight.

"Hey Ufelia, I thin he gets it. Leave him alone please?" I ask her as nicely as possible. 

"Why should I? If he doesn't get it through his thick, Peanut M&M skull that he has no chance with me or anyone, why shouldn't I beat that into him?"

Ufelia's voice just continues to shoot out venom, all triggered by Rhys' very existence. I would have never expected someone could be so despicable, so hateful towards someone they can't stand. I mean, I've been mean to people before, but not to the extent of the twins.

"Hey Rhys, do you wanna sit with us today? We have room, if you'd like." I offer to Rhys, who now looks like a wounded puppy with his balls cut off.

"Oui, the less I see the human filth, the happier I will be." a toxic Ufelia spits at her personal punching bag.

 

I hear the Cafeteria doors open with a boom as Rose and the others come back from their confrontation of Monokuma. Behind them, followed everyone else that, I'm guessing, were still in their room during all of this. But the one thing in common with every one of us is the invitation in our hands.

"What's going on here?" Rose demands. Her eyes dart between me, the twins and Rhys, looking for an answer, any answer as to why there's complete and total chaos in here.

Claus just moves to the front of us and conjures up, "Mon cheri, we were just discussing the latest development, right Benjamin?" 

"Y-Yeah, we were just talking about what to do about it. We were hoping you guys would come back soon so we can make decision together."

The fact that I'm able to lie like that amazed me, but I didn't want to find out what the twins would do to me if I ratted them out. 

"Were you really?" Patty added, her arms crossed in judgement, almost like she knows what really happened while we were alone. "It sounded heated from the Dorms. Are you sure that was all it was?"

Wait, she heard it? But how-?

"Patty, did you forget or are you trying to bait him?" Julian asks the singer as he walks over.

"I have no idea what you're talking about! Stay out of this Julian." Damn, the way she flipped between friendly immediately to forceful with Julian scares the shit out of me, not gonna lie.

"Every room is soundproof, you didn't hear shit! What are you trying to pull?" Julian's counter confirming my earlier suspicions, especially when Patty lowers head in resolution, a smirk on her face.

"Hm, I didn't think you were that smart. You and Ben are...full of surprises."

And she walks away to her usual table, leaving me and Julian wallowing in our confusion.

 

"Anyway-"

"Uh uh uh! It's my turn Miss Pegasus!"

Rose gets interrupted by a voice behind her who is none other than our immature Headmaster: Monokuma. 

"Fine, just tell them what you told me." Rose orders as she goes to her seat, the frustration in her face clear as day. 

After everyone is seated and paying attention, Monokuma begins...

"Ladies and Gentleman! And those who can't make up their mind, Miss-ter Buchanan! I am pleased to announce the First and Last Annual: Monokuma's New Year's Bash! A great time with friends to celebrate the inevitable end of their lives! Despairingly good food, despairingly bubbly drinks, and despairingly good company! I'll see you all tonight my treasured students!"

And with that, Monokuma disappeared, as usual. All of us are looking around, cautiousness infecting the ambiance of the room. I can feel the tension crushing my lungs, constricting my airways, raining life itself from me.

"Okay everyone, what do you want to do?" Rose asks, thus breaking the tension. I can always rely on her to bring us back to reality, back to sanity.

"I don't think it's a good idea. We don't really know what'll happen if we attend." Gabriel says to us, but I notice that he's rubbing the rosary around his neck. If there is a God, I hope he answers Gabe's prayers. For his sake.

"But at the same time, we don't know what happens if we don't go! This _is_ Monokuma's party after all." Sherry-Anne counters, a bowl full of crispy bacon in front of her. When did she even get that?

"It could be a hidden motive, I'd rather not run the danger of getting caught in a trap." I add, voicing my concern to my friends.

"Why would you think that? Are you not trusting of us? I thought we were your friends Brown?" Byron says to me with a smug-filled cynicism.

"Byron." Rose warns the instigating boy, who ceases his loathing before it could've began. "Anyways, even before Ben said anything, I completely agree. If we don't go, we won't be influenced by whatever he's got planned."

"That is, if there's even anything to be wary of." Patty earns a lot of looks from everyone, especially Rose. But they don't phase her, she just sips her tea as usual. "I believe we should think on it and make a final decision at lunch."

"Does that sound good to everyone?" The silence says it all. No debates, but no confirmation either. In fact, no one wants to make this decision, but we have to. That's the situation we're in right now. We have no choice.

 

With our minds racing a mile a minute, the discussion ends and we all continue our breakfast, just the usual with the exception of Rhys. I feel sorry for him, like, I think he really had feelings for her, but now I don't know how he feels about her. But his heart hurts, _that_ I'm certain of. He didn't even get up for food at all! It's the end of breakfast and everyone's leaving the Cafeteria, but I see Patty finishing her tea and cleaning up. I've been meaning to hang out with Patty for a while, so why not? I walk up to her and she's already looking at me knowingly. Welp, might as well just get it over with, the worst thing she could do is reject my offer.

"Hello Ben, what can I do for you?" Patty says warmly, a radiant smile on her face. 

"Um, I was wondering if you'd like to hang out. Get to know each other better, you know?"

Patty, as a woman of few words, just gestures her hand to the seat across from her and I take my seat. I'm surprised she even said yes considering our earlier altercation. Whatever, maybe I can understand her more and she can trust me. Hopefully.

"You don't mind staying here, do you? There's practically no where to sit here." Patty asks, taking another sip of her tea from breakfast.

"Oh, I don't mind. Whatever you want."

......

"So...how has your day been?" I ask her, trying to break the silence.

"Good. Good. How is yours?"

"Good."

.......

Wow, this is awkward. Maybe I should've thought this out...

"Were you not prepared Ben?"

Huh?! How the hell did she know?! By her small giggle, apparently I must have reacted to her words. Honestly, why do I do this?

"It's fine really. I'm not surprised, to be quite frank."

"Am I that obvious?" I ask her, my defeatist attitude shining bright like the searing Sun.

"Sometimes, but don't worry. I have an idea." Patty gets up and goes in the Kitchen, leaving me there with me, myself, and I.

"Okay...,"I respond, however skeptical I am of her "idea". "What's this idea of yours?"

Patty returns to the table with a tea kettle and a tea bag. She places the tea bag in the cup, the string dangling outside the brim.

Patty pours the steaming water into her adequately-sized cup, sits down and says only two words. "Twenty Questions."

"Huh?"

"We can play Twenty Questions. We'll each get to ask twenty questions to each other so we can get to know each other better. Isn't that what you want Ben?" the singer asks as she blows on her newly-made cup of fragrant tea. Green Tea? Lemon Ginger? I can't quite make it out...

"Y-Yeah, it is." 

"Okay, then I'll go first. Where are you from?"

"Um, Massachusetts." Wow, this is kinda easy, not gonna lie. I thought it would be a bit harder considering Patty's prying personality.

"Well?" Patty asks with a pointed tone. "Aren't you gonna ask something?"

"Oh, sorry!" I exclaim to the girl, panic in my voice. "Um...what's your favorite movie?"

"That's easy! American Harmony! It's the greatest film of all time!"

"Actually, I've never heard of it, what's it about?" my question coming easily as Patty piqued my curiosity. I watch movies a lot, so it's kinda bizarre that there's a movie I've never heard of before. It's kinda exciting!

"Uh no. It's not your turn." 

"Huh?!" Her rejection sounded so simple, so finite that I take a second to really register it! "What are you talking about?"

"Because it's not your turn. Did you already forget the rules?" Patty asks me, taking another sip of her tea, which hasn't gotten empty yet! Why is she taking such small sips?! Is she actually thirsty or is it for aesthetic purposes only?!

"What? Don't you think you're taking these rules too seriously?" 

Patty just freezes in place. Her hands frozen, her tea cup still in between her fingers, her face frozen before taking a sip, her entire body as if time itself stopped. What the hell's going on?

Patty sets her tea cup down, and begins to get up from the table. She grabs the tea kettle and her cup before making her way to the Kitchen.

"Patty? What are you doing?" I ask her, not getting an answer. "Patty...?"

I get up from my seat, but before I can move to the Kitchen after the singer, she comes back empty handed. Without her beloved tea cup. What is she doing? Is she moving faster than usual? Why?!

"Patty what's wrong?" I ask her, my nerves ready to leap out of my throat like frogs.

Patty stops where she is and turns around, her face showing no signs of sweat or worry. Just a smile.

"Nothing." she says to me calmly, unforced. "I'm just done talking for today. That's all."

"What? We were in the middle of a conversation! Did I do something Patty?" I ask frantically, worried that I just ruined any headway I made with her.

"No, not at all. You were fine Ben."

Patty makes her way towards the exit of the Cafeteria and I can't do anything but watch as she abandons me in the Cafeteria. What the fuck did I do?! I didn't do anything wrong! I didn't get a chance to learn anything about Patty at all! Just a freaking movie! At this point I should just quit while I'm ahead! She's so difficult! 

 

After that disaster, I walk around a bit until I see Julian, Fatima, and Angela all playing Rummy in the Dorm hallway. With their invitation and my boredom, I join them. But I doubt they'd want to play with me anytime in the future since I won every round after words! After my numerous victories, we realize it's almost time for Lunch to start, so we clean up and begin our way back to the Cafeteria, back to our previous conversation, our previous unanswered question; to go or not to go?

"Hey guys?" Julian says to us, stopping me, Angela, and Fatima in our tracks. 

"Yes?" Fatima asks him.

"What is it, hun?" Angela asks him a split second after.

"What do you think we should do?"

Excuse me, what? It doesn't take a genius to know what Julian's talking about. I'm sure all of us are having the same problem, especially me. I know my answer, but I never thought Julian would ever wanna go to something Monokuma of all people threw together!

"Don't tell me you're actually considering this Julian...!" I plead to him, my shock failing to be contained. 

"No, not at all! I just wanted to see where you guys' heads are at!" Julian says, flabbergasted. Okay, good. He's just as disgusted with the idea as I am.

"Well, I'm still sticking with what I said earlier. I don't trust Monokuma and I don't trust anything he plans." I tell them, reiterating my earlier argument.

"I agree with Benjamin, Monokuma's only motivation is getting our companions to kill each other. We cannot trust someone like that." Fatima says, reinforcing my argument against the idea.

"Yeah no, my ass isn't going  _anywhere_ near that Gym tonight. You would've thought." says Angela, behind me and Fatima.

"Okay good! At least  _we're_ solidified. I wasn't sure about everyone else, so if we need to argue why we shouldn't go, we'll back each other up! Sound good?" Julian's powerful, inspiring tone reverberating through my very soul as he says his words.

"Yeah, let's do this." I say to my dear friends, my determination never faltering, never surrendering.

 

The four of us make our way to Lunch and I notice an uncomfortable silence in the air. It's as if we're in space, where no one can hear you scream your heart out. A dreadful ambiance is poisoning my lungs, making it almost too hard to breathe. But I must push forward!  _We_ must push forward! The four of us take our seats at our table, met by Jane, Rhys, and, surprisingly, Monica. 

"Hey Monica, what's up?" I ask her, hoping to get an answer as to why she's not at her usual table.

"Hey, dude. I was just talking to Rhys about something, I'm going back now. See ya later Rhys." Monica says before she leaves and goes back to her original table, back to Claus and Ufelia's table.

We all take our usual seats, but I notice that Rhys is at the end of the table near the wall, his entire personality drained from his entire body. I can't help but feel bad for him. I mean, if I confessed to Julian that I liked him and he just trashed and broke my heart, I would lose it completely! Especially in a stressful situation like this one!

"Well then..."

I turn to see Rose rising from her seat. I guess it's time, isn't it?

"Have you all thought about it? We need to make a decision before tonight." Rose announces to us, her presence never ceasing to amaze me.

"I think we have to be ready." Patty adds to the conversation as she brings her tea kettle to her table, a tea cup in her other hand. I mean she's right, but I just wish she wasn't. 

"Does everyone agree? Are you ready to vote?"

I look around, and just like before, silence speaks volumes. The uncertainty, the stress, the anxiety, you can cut it all with a bowie knife. everyone's looking around, looking for an answer to their impending decision. Not gonna lie, I'm kinda worried. We can't go to this freaking party! But for now, I can only hope that everyone else agrees with me...

"Everyone that wants to go to the party, raise your hand."

...

...

...Huh? No one did it!

"Everyone that doesn't want to go to the party, raise your hand."

Along with everyone at my table, all sixteen of us raise our hand! Even Byron raised his hand! I can't believe it!

"Huh. Did we actually make our first unanimous decision?" Patty points out to us, making my heart swell in emotion. I never thought we would make a decision and  _not_ argue about it! 

"Yeah, I guess we did, didn't we?!" Julian excitedly says to us and I can't help but let my happiness shine through! 

"Oh, what a relief! I can feel the harmony here. It's quite pleasant!" Gomez says in a meditative position. 

"Ya'll can we eat now? All that stress made me hungry!" Topaz asks us, her boisterous, booming voice echoing through the Cafeteria.

"Yeah, let's eat guys." 

With Rose's permission, we all crowd the Kitchen, each of us getting our own unique platter of delicacies. I, myself, getting a cheeseburger with fries and a Sprite. It may be basic, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it. We all return to our tables and I can't wait to dig my teeth into that juicy burger! I can finally feel peace here, like we can actually do this; actually work together like a team! I know I can be friends with these people once we get outside this terrible place and now, I'm more excited than ever!

 

"YOU DIDN'T THINK IT WOULD BE THAT EASY DID YOU?!" 

 

Wait, what?!

I look at the entrance of the Cafeteria to see a seething Monokuma, his young face looking even more sinister against his now-red face. He's truly the Devil's Incarnate.

"Ugh, what do you want you furry?" Byron asks the child nonchalantly, unphased by his anger.

"Hahahaha!!! You called him a furry!!!" Sherry-Anne uproariously states. "Hahahahaha!!!"

"STOP LAUGHING YOU INBREEDS!" Monokuma orders the duo, his words sharp and tact.

Sherry-Anne's face contorts to one of insult and disgust. "Inbreed?! How dare you!" 

"Shut up Sherry-Anne." Rose orders and Sherry-Anne immediately heels. "Monokuma, what do you want?"

"I saw that you all decide you weren't going to my party. ARE YOU THAT UNGRATEFUL?!" Monokuma shouts as he throws a temper tantrum, stomping his feet, screaming, the whole toddler package. Damn, why exactly does he have to act like this?

"Stop acting like a child. It's already decided. We're not going to your soiree of despair and there's nothing you can do about it." Patty informs the immature Monokuma in a cocky tone.

 

"Do you really think I don't already have a plan?"

 

"Huh?" Patty utters, unusually caught by surprise. What is he planning?

"I'm here to announce you guys' punishment! For not going to the party, the entire Cafeteria _will be locked_."

"WHAT?!" I can't help but find something,  _anything_ that would let me know this is all a dream, but my attempts only lead to failure. This is truly a nightmare in my reality.

"That's right! Unless you ungrateful children go to my New Year's Celebration, the Cafeteria will be locked until people attend my party! And believe me, we have all the time in the world. Sooooooo might as well get it done now rather than later...." 

 

Monokuma disappears right before our very eyes and just like that, the mood is brought down to the way it's been since we got here. I have no idea what to do, like at all. We all banded together just a second ago and now we're given  _this_?! We just can't win, can we?! 

"I'm still not going." I hear Byron say as I begin to leave my stupor and focus on my classmate's discussion.

"What do you mean? Why not?" Fatima asks the actor. "Did you not hear what Monokuma said?! Do you want to starve? Because I do not!"

"Is that hijab of yours hiding how small your brain actually is? He didn't actually say we all had to attend, just 'people'. So if you'll excuse me, I'll be leaving now."

 

As Byron goes leaves, I can see the rage build up in Fatima's face, her tan skin becoming even darker in anger. Oh shit...

"Who do you think you are?! What privilege do you think you have over us, that you can belittle and abuse us?!"

Byron doesn't stop...

"Answer me!"

Byron pauses his pompous stride, turns around and embodies ice itself. Cold. Hard. Completely unfazed by Fatima's furiously passionate words. I can't and won't ever attempt to understand this guy! Why is he such a piece of shit?!

"Talk to me like that again, and you'll be at my feet begging for mercy." 

...And he's gone.

 

"What's going on?" Claus says as he enters the Cafeteria. Wait, what the hell? When did he leave leave? I didn't even see him!

"Just Byron being a douche, dude. Nothing new, sadly." Julian informs the dancer.

Claus just shrugs and walks to his sister and they both head to the Kitchen with what looks like a cooler in Claus' hand. Why on Earth would the twins need a cooler? As soon as they're inside, I hear the deafening sound of a motor resonating from inside, which ranged throughout the Cafeteria. The regular chatter at our meals abruptly stopped as we get distracted by the annoying noise. 

"Jesus Christ! Can they cut the shit please?!" Sherry-Anne yells, trying to be heard above the motor sounds. 

"It feels like my ears are bleeding! This! Is _NOT_! Zen!" Gomez yells, which is completely against his character.

"We gotta do something! Benji, come on!" Julian demands as he drags me with him to the Kitchen! why do I have to go?! Whatever, I wanted to know about the cooler anyways, so now's the best time I guess.

As Julian and I pass the tables, Rose follows us to the Kitchen at no surprise to me and, I'm guessing, Julian either. Julian opens the door and we're all met with the twins leaning against the counter as a blender runs behind them. A yellow, thick liquid is being blended in a sort of smoothie-like substance.

"Oh, bonjour. How may we help you?" Ufelia asks as she takes a sip of the yellow liquid.

"Claus, Ufelia, did you guys know that the blender can be heard in the whole Cafeteria?" Rose asks the twins, her stern expression ever so dominant.

"Oh, je suis vraiment désolé! We would never want to interrupt your...feasting. I should never forget that vaches have to eat too, right Ufelia?" Claus asks his sister who just nods her head in agreement.

"Okay, thank you for being considerate guys! it means a lot!" I tell them, I know the twins have shown earlier that they can be downright awful, but maybe there's a nice side to them too.

"We just finished anyways. It's not a problem." Ufelia informs me as she pours the rest of the last of the blended smoothie into a cup and puts a lid on it. "Would you like to try?"

"Oh, cool. Thank you!" 

I take the blended concoction and honestly, it smells really good! Like a loaf of fresh banana bread! I take a sip of it and...it's awful. The tartness of the banana is mixed with a minty spice that doesn't go well together at all! How the hell can they drink this shit?! 

"You like it don't you? That's to be expected. It's our mother's famous Banana Mint Smoothies, and no, you can't have the recipe." Ufelia says as she drinks her cup. Honestly, I wouldn't want the recipe anyways. 

"Here, Julian try this." 

I hand the beverage to Julian, who takes it happily, and I can't help but feel bad for the guy as he takes a large gulp of it. I see his face contort to one just on the border of disgust and surprise. 

"Julian, this is really good right?" I ask him, hopefully he realizes to play along, or else this could go badly. Really badly...

"Huh?"

Oh, come on Julian! Don't fail me now! "Isn't this one of the best things you've ever tasted? It's so good, right?"

"Oh, yeah. This is...delicious." He replies as the twins smile at the "compliment". Yes! I knew you wouldn't fail me Julian! I'm just glad I can play to the twin's egos. "You're turn Rose!"

Julian hands the drink to her, but Rose puts her hand up in denial of the beverage. "I'll have to pass. I'm allergic to mint, I can't digest it at all. Sorry."

"Oh, that's too bad! Only few have ever had the privilege to try it! Such a shame..." Ufelia tells us, but honestly, is it really a privilege? I don't think so...

 

The five of us walk out of the Kitchen, Claus with cooler in tow, when all of the sudden, iron cages slam down on the doors. The five of us stare behind us in shock, it almost made me jump out of my skin! This means...it's actually happening, isn't it? At this moment, we can't eat anything from the Cafeteria, none of the luxurious food we've come to know since our first day. It hurts, it really does.

Rose turns to everyone and dismisses us from the Cafeteria, "So, I guess Lunch is done for today. I'll see you guys at the party tonight." 

"Uh, no you will not."

"Huh?" I turn around to see Ufelia and Claus with their hands folded across their chest, their faces in defiance.

"What do you mean, 'you will not'?" Rose's demeanor changes with the twin's defiance, her piercing eyes stabbing them with a cold, stern stare.

"Exactly what you think it means. Claus and I will  _not_ be attending this pitiful celebration. All of you can enjoy it's mediocrity, if you so wish." Ufelia's posh attitude shines luxuriously as she speaks. 

"What? Why not?!" Julian demands, almost as if he's relaying my exact question. 

Claus scoffs as if Julian asked the most simple question he's ever heard. "Byron is correct. Not everyone has to go, only  _people_ have to go. And, I'm pretty sure everyone at the goody two-shoes table will be attending, so there's the people required. And yes, Benjamin, we're talking about you." 

"Hey wait-!" 

"Now, if you'll excuse us, we'll be leaving now. And no, nothing you can say will change our mind. Have fun tonight! I know it won't take much."

 

After Ufelia finishes, the twins leave the Cafeteria, leaving all of us dazed and confused. I thought we were getting closer to working together, but now, it seems like we couldn't be more separated. I can only hope that most of us go to the New Year Celebration, as a sign of unity. We all begin to disperse, no words spoken. I grab my tray, dispose of it, and make my way to the exit, only to see Julian waiting at the entrance of the Dorms. When he notices me coming, he smiles in my direction. God he's so freaking cute! 

"Ben, can you come with me please?" Angela says from behind me.

All of the sudden, Angela loops her arm around mine and drags me the way  _opposite_ of the Dorms, opposite of where Julian is waiting! "Huh, wait! Where are we going?!"

"This is for your own good Ben. You need some serious help." I look back to Julian who waves as he gets farther from my vision until he disappears all together as we turn the corner.

 

Angela takes me to the Storage Room, all the way to the Clothing Area. A vibrant array of different clothes lined the walls, decorated each rack with hues of the rainbow.

"Angela, why are we here?" I ask her, nervous butterflies fluttering in my stomach at the possibilities.

"You're going to the party, right?" Angela asks instead of answering my question. She shuffles through the clothes on the innumerable racks. Why is she doing that? Does she just want me to help her pick clothes out for her?

"Y-Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't I?" 

"Well, I'm gonna give you some truth tea because you need it." Angela inhales, preparing herself for this "truth tea" she's making me. "You look like shit."

Uh, excuse me?

"W-What did you just say?" I can't believe my ears! Why would Angela say that?! I look completely fine!

"Hun, I'm saying this because I care and I want what's best for you! I  _am_ a fashion expert, remember?" 

"Yeah, I guess..."

"Okay, so trust me! I know what I'm doing!" Angela grabs my face and inspects up and down my body with her eyes. "Gray doesn't go with your skin tone darling. It washes you out!"

"Uh, what?" What the hell does that mean?!

"You look paler than you actually are. You're a beautiful tan color, embrace it! So few of us get that lucky." 

"Awww, thank you!" Not gonna lie, I needed that compliment. You know, after she said I looked like shit not even two minutes ago.

 

Angela searches through the clothes while I wait patiently on a bench. Seeing Angela in her environment is kinda breathtaking, like seeing an orchestra live and hearing each vibrato, each staccato, all in perfect harmony. Angela's such a star.

"Hey Ben, come here!" 

I do as I'm told and I see Angela with a bundle of them in her hands and just looking at it made the butterflies in my stomach get even more restless.

"Angela, are you sure I'll look good in those? That's not exactly my style.." 

"Exactly. Now get changed and we'll see."

I change into the clothes Angela gave me and return to the bench she's sitting at. I'm wearing a green knitted cardigan that buttons up in the front, khakis, a white t-shirt under the cardigan, and brown shoes. I have no idea what I look like, but hopefully I look good enough to get Angela's approval. 

"Well, what do you think?" I ask her, spinning once so that she can get a better look. When I spin back to my original position, I get a look at her face, which is unreadable. I can't tell what she thinks about it at all. All of the sudden, she just leaves!

"Hey! Angela!" I scream out to the drag queen. 

"Bitch, just wait here! Calm down!" Okay, fine. Jesus.

A few minutes pass as I wait for her, but she finally arrives and with-

?!

"J-Julian? What are you doing here?" I ask, the feeling of surprise ever so noticeable.

"Well, Julian here, is gonna help me see if this is the right outfit. He does do Men's Fashion Reviews after all, so I trust him."

I look at Julian and for some reason, he stands next to Angela, motionless. Looking at me. His lion-like gaze unknowingly forcing me to cower to his stare. 

"What? What's wrong?" I ask him timidly. 

"Oh nothing! Nothing at all!" Julian answers seemingly caught off-guard. "It's...perfect actually. You look really good Benji."

"Perfect, thank you Julian! I think it looks great too." Angela confirms. Wait, if Angela thought it looked fine already, why did she need Julian? I wonder what drives Angela to do what she does half of the time, I'll just have to ask her another time, I guess. 

 

Angela, Julian, and I hang out with each other afterwords, until it Dinner comes around. I know there's no chance that Monokuma unlocked the Kitchen, but I think it's worth a shot to check anyways. You never know what that kid's thinking sometimes. The three of us go to the entrance of the Cafeteria, only to find that even  _that_ is locked!

"Ugh! Why?!" Julian yells in complete frustration.

"I guess Monokuma wanted to make sure we weren't able to eat unless we go to the New Year Celebration. At least, that's what I can think of." Angela answers.

"Makes sense." I add, even though it really didn't add to the conversation what-so-ever.

Soon, everyone gathers at the entrance, looking at the iron bars of hunger in front of us. It gives off an oppressive atmosphere that chokes the very essence of freedom out of your soul. Very fitting for where we are and what "game" we're playing. 

"Well, this fucking sucks, doesn't it?" Sherry-Anne says, breaking the silence.

"Hey! Language Sherry-Anne! God's listening!" Gabriel scolds to the animal lover.

"No offense Gabe, but, I don't think anyone cares about God listening to them swear..." Topaz counters.

Gabriel's face turns to shock immediately, as if Topaz just told him Santa doesn't exist. "How rude!"

"Guys, why are we fighting over such trivial matters. What are we gonna do? We don't have much options after all." Gomez says to break the imminent conflict.

"We have to go to the New Year's Celebration, of course. We need to eat and this is the one and only opportunity there is." Fatima informs, which she's right, of course. We can't afford to not eat.

"I'm not going."

We all turn around to see Rhys with his head low in a deep depressive state. 

"What? Why not? It'll be fun!" Julian asks the mathematician.

"I...I'm just not up for it. Sorry..." I see, he's still effected by Ufelia's words. How could she just sit by and see him like this?!

"Well, that'll be fine. I've come to realize that Byron was right. Not everyone has to go. We won't get penalized if a few of us don't go tonight. But, I do highly advise that you do, considering you won't get a meal until tomorrow morning. So-"

 

  **DING DONG BING BONG!**

 

"It is now officially Nighttime! Please make your way to your rooms and prepare for the New Year's Celebration! You bastards will get a separate announcement for when you're allowed to go to the Gymnasium! I think you're in for a great time..."

 

"And with that, I'll see you guys tonight." 

 

With Rose's dismissal, we all go to our rooms and I immediately feel a wave of exhaustion overwhelm me.

"Hey Benji, you okay?" Julian asks me.

I yawn incredibly loud, but it feels so relieving. "Yeah I'm just tired, that's all."

"You can go to sleep if you want, I was just about to do the same. Need all the energy we can get."

With that Julian and I head to bed, but I do so knowing that I won't be sleeping for long. Ugh, fuck Monokuma honestly...

 

 

 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

 

**DING DONG BING BONG!**

 

"Salutations you bastards! Guess what time it is??!! It's party time!! The New Year's Celebration is ready to go underway!!!! Come to the Gymnasium immediately! I'll be waitiiiiiing!!!"

 

Shit, it's time already? Ugh, why do we have to do this again? I feel Julian's arm squirm around my waist as I begin to grow more conscious of my surroundings, more conscious of the ever-looming party no one wants to go to. 

"Julian, get up." I tell the sleepy guy next to me as I shake him to life.

"Ugh, I don't wanna." a groggy Julian replies.

"No, let's go." I shove him hard. "Come on."

"Alright. Alright! I'm up!"

The two of us go to our opposite sides of the bed and I begin to do my stretches, I'd rather not be stiff walking around the Gym so I might as well. When I look over at Julian, he's doing the same.

"It sucks that we can't shower and stuff, I should've done it before Nighttime came. I feel so gross." I complain to him.

"Oh, I feel ya! I just hope I don't sweat out of nervousness, I'd cry." Julian replies with a light-hearted laugh.

"Knowing me, I'd nervous sweat before you even think about being nervous."

"Well, you're nervous all the time, so..."

I gasp at the very thought! "I am not!" I slap his shoulder playfully and he just laughs harder which makes me laugh harder! You know what? Maybe this party won't be as bad as I thought! We can only hope, right? 

 

Julian and I leave the room after that and we walk the dark halls to meet the others in front of the Gym doors. In all actuality, I thought there were gonna be more people here. 

"Wow, I thought mostly everyone was gonna be here..." I mention to Rose, who's, for some reason, holding a clipboard. The twins, Rhys, Byron, Monica, and Gabe aren't here. Six of us...

"Well, to look on the plus side, at least a majority of us are here. Five eighths to be exact." Rose tells us. For obvious reasons, I still don't feel good about that...

"Rose, that still isn't a good turnout..." Patty informs the girl scout.

"Anyways," Rose says, dodging Patty's observation. "Are we ready?"

 

Rose begins to open the doors and, as I predicted, I get nervous. I can't help it! We don't know what Monokuma has planned! For all we know, we're stepping right into a trap! He  _does_ want us to kill each other after all! As I see the gap between the doors grow bigger and bigger, my anxiety grows with it. All I can think of is the bad stuff that can happen, all the death that can come. When I see inside, I'm met with an unbelievable sight...

...

...Huh? 

...Does  this... actually look good?

 

My friends and I are met with a Gymnasium decorated with streamers, banners and tables of tables lined wi-

"FOOD!!!"

Sherry-Anne runs immediately towards the beautiful buffet with all types of  exotic foods and desserts! Wait, what is this?! Why the hell is this so nice?!

"Wh-What in tarnation is going on?!" Topaz asks behind me, but no none has an answer. We're just as speechless as she is! I never would've expected such pleasantries from Monokuma of all people!

 

"So! What do you think, my beautiful bastards?!"

Monokuma appears from the stage and skips towards us, glee in his eyes.

"What exactly is this Monokuma?" Patty asks him.

"'What is this'?! Patty, don't get slow on me now! It's a party! Monokuma's New Year's Celebration, all credit is mine and mine alone! All for your enjoyment!"

"What's the catch?" Rose asks the bear child, her arms crossed in suspicion.

"N-Nothing! This is to celebrate a new year of despair and hopelessness! That's all! There  _is_ no catch! Just have fun!"

Fun? I can't help but be suspicious of him...

 

"Well guys, I guess we can just try and do your best to have fun, okay?"

We all enter the Gym and my eyes immediately go to the large projector screen with a countdown on it.

"Ummm, what is that?" I point to my friends, who look up and also see the screen.

"It's a countdown hun. But for what? I have no idea..." Angela replies.

"Wh-Wh-What happens when it hits zero?" Jane asks. Good question honestly...

 

"I can help with that!"

Jane screams in fear as Monokuma pops up right behind her!

"Hey! She cannot see! That is not fair!" Fatima scolds.

"Well, do you want the answer or to worry about Miss Hilton's heart? Anyways, the countdown ends at 12 AM, not only the end of  the party, but the end of the old year! We can leap out of the past together and into a new year! Isn't that what's most important?!" And he disappears again...

"Okay, so our answer is that it counts down to midnight. Could've just said that..." Julian points out and I couldn't agree more.

The five of us move to the table full of food and I can see Sherry-Anne gathering plates and plates of food! 

"Jesus Sherry-Anne, wanna save some for us?" Julian asks her and, in response, she turns to face us with her cheeks inflated with various edible delicacies. Sandy Cheeks would be proud...

"Sorry! This is just so good!" Sherry-Anne mutters with her mouth full.

 

After gathering some food, I go to the drinks and I realize-

"Just Sparkling Wine? Isn't this from the American Room?" Julian asks.

"Nothing like recycling, I guess..." I snidely tell him, both of us chuckling at our subtle roast.

That's when it hits me: a fruity aroma in the air. What the hell? Where the hell is that coming from? There's not even fruit on the table! I begin to sniff around and my nose points me to Jane. Hmmmm she smells amazing!

"Jane, why do you smell so fruity? It smells so good!" I ask the blind girl and she turns red immediately!

"Ahh! Th-Thank you! It's my perfume!" she answers with a small smile.

"Anytime!" Jane needs all the compliments she can get. She deserves a confidence boost.

We all pour our drinks, which further amplifies the fruitiness surrounding us! Oh my God, turn it off!!! There's fruity and then there's _fruity_ , and I'd rather not suffocate thank you! 

"Julian, can we go somewhere else? The smell's overwhelming me..." I ask the internet star, who gladly obliges as we go to speak to some of our other friends. With plate and glass in hand, we see Topaz and Gomez talking to each other and we decide to spend some time with them.

"Hey y'all! How're you enjoyin' yerself?" Topaz asks us, a plate of fried chicken wings on her plate with a cinnamon bun on the side.

"I'm having a good time! It's been a while, huh Julian?" 

"I didn't expect it, but this party is pretty awesome. Monokuma may be a crazy kid, but he sure as hell can throw a party!" Julian says as he takes a swig of his drink.

"This party isn't half bad at all. I feel completely at ease with my dearest friends." Gomez adds as he fishes through his salad with croutons.

 

After spending some time with Gomez and Topaz, we move to Rose and Patty, which is a weird sight to see considering I thought they didn't like each other.

"Hey Patty. Hey Rose, how's your night so far?" Julian asks the girls.

"The sooner this is over the better. I'm already putting strain on my vocal chords talking past my bedtime as it is! I can't keep on doing this during our stay here, I'd get nodes for sure!" Patty complains, over dramatically I might add.

"Calm down Patty, you can't get vocal nodules just by talking, that's outrageous." Rose tells her. Oh shit...

"Uh, excuse me. Are you the Ultimate Barbershop Singer? I don't think so, so how can you tell me what's good or bad for my vocals?" 

"Hey! Stop fighting! This is supposed to be a good night remember?" I tell them and they just look at me, as if to shut me up with just a  glare.

 

But he fight is interrupted when the doors of the Gym open, Monica and Gabriel coming in.

"Monica and Gabe! You made it!" I say happily, and genuinely too! I really want to get closer with them, just like everyone! Now's my chance to!

"Yes, sorry for the delay. I'm glad I'm here now though! Courage is a heck of a thing, isn't it?" Gabe says with a chipper attitude. I have no idea what he meant about courage, but whatever floats his boat.

"Dude, did you just say 'heck'? Just say hell! It won't hurt you." Monica tells the priest, who gasps at what she just said.

"W-What did you just say?! You can't say that!" 

"What? He-" 

Gabe puts his hand over Monica's mouth and shushes really loudly. "Shhhh! Yes that word! Jesus is watching you!"

Those two debate about the proper use of the word "hell", but I notice that Rose is writing on her clipboard she had earlier.

"Hey Rose, what are you writing?" I ask her.

"An attendance list. I want to know who's here at all times. Safety purposes and such." she answers me, still writing on her damn clipboard! How can she multitask so effortlessly?!

We hang out for a little while, eating and drinking our worries away. I can't believe how fun this night has been! Yes, I wish everyone was here, but besides that this has been a night to remember! 

 

"Okay bastards!"

We all look at the stage to see Monokuma in his chair, microphone in hand.

"It's two minutes to Midnight! Grab a glass and sit down in front of the stage! Watch as you get closer and closer to a despairingly new year!"

**2:00**

We do as we're told and we assemble in front of the stage. Julian and I sit next to each other after getting refills of Sparkling Wine.

**1:30**

"God, I'm so nervous for no reason. What's wrong with me?" I tell myself.

"I get nervous too, especially when watching a countdown like this. The anxiety of not knowing what's next, not knowing the future gets me riled up and pumped! I don't know why, I just do, I guess." Welp, I guess he heard me talking to myself, he must think I'm crazy now. That's how it works, right?

 

 

**1:00**

"Benji, can I tell you something?" Julian asks me, looking all types of nervous.

"Yeah, of course! You can tell me anything!"

"Well, if you don't mind..." Julian takes a deep breath, and exhales shakily. "You're a great guy, you know that?"

Huh? "What do you mean?" 

 

**0:30**

"Well, I'm really glad that I got to meet you here, even under bad circumstances. You're nice, funny, and I'm just so comfortable around you!"

"Awww thank you Julian! I'm comfortable around you too!"

 

**0:20**

"I feel like I can be myself around you. And that's really important to me." Julian turns his head to hide his face. He's so freaking cute! In every way!

**0:10**

"So, what do you think?" he asks.

Julian moves closer to my side.

**0:09**

Wait, what?

"Wh-What do I think of what?"

**0:08**

"What do you think of me?"

He puts his arm around my shoulders.

**0:07**

"Wh-Wh-What do I think of y-y-you?"

Oh God Ben! What the fuck?! Why are you being such a pussy?!

**0:06**

"Yeah..."

He looks at me for an answer.

**0:05**

"I think you're a-a-amazing."

He leans in closer.

**0:04**

"I don't think I'd be a-a-able to survive here w-without you."

Closer. My heart beat increases.

**0:03**

"You're such a great person."

Closer. My heart beats faster.

 

**0:02**

"I-"

I can feel his breath across my skin. He comes closer and-

 

**0:01**

 

BLACKOUT

 

What? Where are the lights?

"Huh? Why is it so dark?" Julian asks, still close to me.

All of the sudden the lights go red as a rush of water rains down on us! A siren rings through out the Gym, startling me up from my seat! What the fuck?!

"What?! What the hell's going on?!" Sherry-Anne yells as we all rush to get up from our seats.

"Don't worry you bastards! It's just the fire alarm! Exit in an orderly fashion out the Gymnasium and wait for me near the Cafeteria!" Monokuma disappears an we do what we're told. I don't know why we have to leave the Gym, but I'm not complaining. I'm tired anyways, so maybe I can get some sleep after all.

"A-Angela! Wh-Wh-What's h-happening?!" Jane asks the tall woman, startled as all hell.

"I have no idea hun, but I'm just glad I'm wearing waterproof makeup." 

"Rose, it's the fire alarm right? What do you think made it go off?" Patty asks Rose.

"I have zero idea. I hope it ends soon though, I hate being wet." Rose tells her as she tries to ruffle  the water out of her blonde curls.

 

 

We continue down the hallway until all of the sudden, the lights get turned back on and the rain cut off. But, isn't it usually a lot darker? The lights are way brighter than they should be right now, but at least I can freaking see where I'm-

 

...

...Wait! I move to my destination. Further down the Hallway, I look down and see red all on the floor, spread out in the water. I drown out the talking behind me as I examine the floor ahead of us. The floor is wet, as expected, but there's something in there that shouldn't be in there! Why on Earth is the water red?

"Wh-What's that?" I ask myself, as I try to figure out this weirdly colored water.

"Benji, what's wrong?" Julian asks from behind me. "Huh? Water's not supposed to be red right?"

"What? What did you just say?" Rose asks us, a sense of urgency in her voice. 

"The water, it has red in it. Why?" Rose's face grows to one of concern as she looks around the Hallway. Her eyes go to the Office as she carefully walks to it.

"Rose...what's wrong?" I ask her as I follow her just as carefully as she's moving. But she's not responding, her eyes constantly on the Office doors.

We reach the Office doors, but Rose's hands are trembling, afraid of something.

"Rose, what's going on?! Talk to me!" I demand, but she just opens the door swiftly, the two of us witness a most unbelievable sight....

 

 

The body of our friend Rhys on the floor, curled up in a puddle of the red-infused water...that I now realize is blood.

The Ultimate Mathematician....is dead.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this hiatus is terrible, I know okay?! It's unforgivable! You deserve better and you're getting that now! We have our first victim! Who murdered Rhys Morimoto? I'd love to hear your theories! Next is the Investigation and the our first Class Trial! I'm so excited! Stay tuned everyone!
> 
> Also, the picture is of Rhys Morimoto, the Ultimate Mathematician drawn by a really close friend of mine! Honestly, to make up for the long long long long time I've abandoned you, I'm just gonna post all the pictures at once! Because y'all are worth it ;)


	7. ART

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I absolutely DO NOT own anything Danganronpa, the rights and the thanks go to Kazutaka Kodaka and Spike Chunsoft. However, I do own every character except for one, which you will see eventually. I own all of the students basically. I hope you enjoy and I do take feedback, so comment to your hearts content!

 

**Benjamin Brown- The Ultimate Lucky Student**

**Julian Levi- The Ultimate Internet Star**

**Thomas Barrowman aka Angela Buchanan- The Ultimate Teenage Drag Queen**

**Rosemary Pegasus- The Ultimate Girl Scout**

**Fatima Mahaseth- The Ultimate Humanitarian**

**Byron St.James- The Ultimate Thespian**

**Jane Hilton- The Ultimate Blind Role Model**

 

**Ufelia and Claus Benafonte- The Ultimate Female and Male Ballerinas**

**Gabriel Smith- The Ultimate Religious Symbol**

**Monica Lyon- The Ultimate Card Game Enthusiast**

**Rhys Morimoto- The Ultimate Mathematician**

**Patty Delman- The Ultimate Barbershop Singer**

**topaz McAfee- The Ultimate Farmer**

**Gomez Castro- The Ultimate Masseur**

**Sherry-Anne Irwin- The Ultimate Zoologist**

**Headmaster Monokuma( My Version )**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the art I promised! <3 <3 <3


	8. Chapter One: Be Careful What You Wish For INVESTIGATION

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope's Peak Academy heralds the best of the best students from across the nation to gather at one place to hone and enhance their specific talents, igniting the hope of society to see a better and brighter tomorrow behind the smiles and eyes of those chosen to attend. The America Chapter of the academy has just begun to recruit and Benjamin Brown has been chosen as the Senior Class' Ultimate Lucky Student, randomly drawn from a nationwide lottery. To be chosen to attend a prestigious school, he has to be lucky right? Well he thought, until his world was turned upside down as soon as he entered the school. The school where a single bad decision can get you killed, robbing you of the hope that can quell the hunger of despair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I absolutely DO NOT own anything Danganronpa, the rights and the thanks go to Kazutaka Kodaka and Spike Chunsoft. However, I do own every character except for one, which you will see eventually. I own all of the students basically. I hope you enjoy and I do take feedback, so comment to your hearts content!

 

  **DING DONG DING DONG!**

 

"A body has been discovered! Please gather near the Office!"

 

This...this can't be happening...

"Wh-What did he say?!" Julian asks in shock.

"What's this about a body?!" Ufelia exclaims as she leaves the Storage Room with Claus trailing behind her.

Julian and the others move next to me and Rose, finally finding the source of our horror. Understandably so, they share our exact looks of horror. Seeing my friends reactions made me realize that this  _is_ our reality. Rhys is laying in front of us, there's blood on the floor, and someone killed him.

"Wh-Wh-Who is that?!" Jane asks us, which doesn't come as a shock to me. She can't see after all.

"Its..." the first time I actually have to admit it. The first time I have to admit, "It's Rhys. He's dead."

"R-Rhys?!"

I can hear Gabriel panicking behind me, his breathing drastic and quick. "Oh God. Oh God oh God oh God oh God OH GOD!" 

"Gabriel, please settle down! You will hyperventilate at this rate!" Fatima pleads with the priest, her words falling on deaf ears.

"Uh, hello! Don't you think he has a reason to hyperventilate?! I sure as hell do!" Topaz argues with fear in her eyes.

"D-D-Don't say the 'H' word!" Gabriel tells the farmer with the same, potent fear in his eyes.

We erupt into pointless arguing that blends together in a dis-cordial harmony. I'd probably argue as well if I wasn't still shell shocked by this discovery. Why? Why would someone do this?! 

 

"Stop arguing!" Rose demands and everyone freezes in their place, their attention now on Rose and Rose alone. "We need to focus or else we're going to be royally fucked, do you understand?"

"I'd say." 

I turn around and I see Byron come from the Dorm Area....in just a towel, water dripping down his lean exterior.

"Byron?! Where are your clothes?!" Sherry-Anne asks the actor, her face disgusted by the hairless rat in front of her.

"Be quiet, there are more important matters than my clothes, or lack there of."

Byron moves towards the entrance of the Office, his arms folded across his chest as he strides.

"How on Earth are you unfazed by this?! Rhys was just  _killed_! Do you not care at all?!" I ask him, my anger betraying me as I look at the callous wanton guy before me.

"I barely spoke to him, why would I care if he exists or not?" 

Julian's face changes from fearful to a fear-fueled rage, furious about Byron talking trash about a friend.

"You piece of shit! Hasn't anyone told you not to speak ill of the dead?"

But his words are ignored. Byron just walks past him and walks straight to Rose!

"What happened? In detail."

"We left the party during the fire alarm and on our way back, Ben discovered the blood on the floor and we found Rhys in the Office." Rose answers, ignoring what just happened!

"Hey, Rose! Are you gonna let that fuckwad get away with what he said about Rhys?! That's fucked!" Monica yells in outrage! I don't blame her! I feel the same way!

"She's being smart, that's all. We can't have conflict like this, especially when we need to investigate." Patty answers the angry, pink-haired girl.

 

"'Investigate'?! Did someone just say 'investigate'?!"

 

Monokuma appears behind the group and pushes his way towards the doors to get a front row seat to the carnage we witnessed.

"Would you look at that!  _That_ , my dear students, is a dead Mr. Morimoto! I would've loved an important member of your group be dead instead, but you can't pick and choose your victories! Am I right?!"

"S-Salaud! You're enjoying this, aren't you?!" Claus says in an accusatory manner towards out Headmaster.

"Yup! I sure am!" he delightfully responds. "And don't be getting all sentimental over this Mr. Benafonte! You didn't care about Mr. Morimoto at all when he was alive, so don't pretend you care now that he's dead!"

"Just because I didn't like him doesn't mean I can't feel bad about him dying!"

"Whatever you say, you frog!"

Claus and Ufelia gasp at what Monokuma just said, anger bellowing in their faces. "Frog?! How dare you!" Ufelia exclaims, obviously offended.

"Ufelia this isn't the time for that." Rose tells the ballerina, who just pouts and stews in her own bitterness. "Monokuma, you're here for a reason right?"

"Very observant Rosemary! I'm glad someone's focused on the game!"

Who in their right mind would ever call this a game?! Looking over at Byron, I retract my previous thought. God, I hate him...

"I'm far from wanting to participate in your game. And, its Rose. Get it right." Rose's entire demeanor was deadly, like she's ready to pounce at any second.

"Okay, okay! Jeez, can't take a joke, can you?! Anyways, since none of you have ever did an investigation before, I thought I'd help you out!" 

 

 Monokuma snaps his right fingers and a bell toll reverberates throughout the hallway. I open my backpack and I pull out my e-Handbook to see that there's a black and white app on the home screen now, a red number one separating the monochrome colors.

"What's this?" I ask the bear child.

"Why, it's the Monokuma File! I've compiled the basics of this case so that you can investigate thoroughly! Wouldn't wanna get high expectations of you bastards, you know?!"

"M-M-Monokuma F-File?" Jane asks, puzzled by what it holds.

"Don't worry hun. I'll stay with you. How else would you know what it says?" Angela tells the girl consolingly.

"Th-Thank you Angela!" Not gonna lie, I never thought about that. I'm glad Angela had Jane's back.

"Now that that's cleared up, Happy Investigating! You're life's in your hands..." 

And with that, Monokuma disappeared, leaving us speechless and aware of our situation.

"Okay everyone, we need to search everywhere. Every clue can help us find the culprit. Good luck to you all."

 

Without any choice, we split up to look for clues. Clues of one of our classmates' guilt and betrayal. I can't say that I'm not having a hard time fully processing how one of us, one of my classmates that I trust so much, can commit a murder. I guess that's what I get for being naive after the short time we've had together. I'll just have to be more practical from now on. 

 

**INVESTIGATION START!**

 

Might as well open the Monokuma File first. I'll need all the information I can get! I turn on my e-Handbook and I press on the app for the Monokuma File and I begin reading:

 

  _Monokuma File #1:_

_The victim is Rhys Morimoto. The body was found in the Office at approximately 12 AM._

_The cause of death was a stab wound through the skull._

_There's evidence of bruising all around the victim's knees, but only the bruises on the back of the knees are in a straight line._

 

Oh, well that's interesting. I wonder why that is...

 

 **[** Loaded **Monokuma File #1** in the e-Handbook **]**  

 

"Hey Benji!" Julian walks up to me, e-Handbook in tow. "Wanna work together? Two heads are better than one."

"Yeah sure." I'm kinda glad Julian offered. I don't really wanna be alone right now. And besides, he's right! I want to bounce my ideas off of him and see what he thinks. It all works out.

"Alright!" Julian is pretty enthusiastic considering what we're doing right now... "I was just about to check out the body, so we should do that."

"Good idea, I want to see if the Monokuma File was telling the truth about Rhys' injuries."

 

Julian and I enter the Office, where Rose, Angela, And Jane are doing their own investigations. Since Rose is inspecting the body, I decide to go to her and see if she found anything out.

"Hey Rose, did you find anything?" I ask her.

"Just in time, take a look at this." Rose touches Rhys' head as if it was second nature to her. She rotates it so I can see under his jaw, where he was stabbed.

"Damn, he was killed like that?" Julian says in a pity-filled tone.

"Yes, but that's not what I'm showing you. Take a look at the weapon."

I look at the wound again and see, what looks like, a reflective piece of glass lodged inside his head. Pretty big too.

"Is that from a mirror or something?" Julian asks.

"I don't think so, I think it's from somewhere else, so I wanna check their first." I tell him.

"Okay, whatever you say."

 

 **[** Loaded **Glass Shard** in the e-Handbook **]**

 

All of the sudden, Monokuma appears out of nowhere!

"Hiya folks!"

"AAAAGH!" Jane screams as if the life was ripped out of her.

"Monokuma, do you have any purpose for being here, other than scaring little girls?" Angela scolds.

"I'm just making my rounds! That's all! I'm here to tell you that you can now use your Camera App!"

"Huh? What for?" Rose asks, pulling out her e-Handbook.

"Why, to take pictures of your evidence! A pictures worth a thousand words, after all..."

Monokuma leaves after that. 

"Well, at least it was useful information." Julian adds, and I agree. If we don't have pictures, it would probably be harder to prove the legitimacy of evidence. I take a picture of the Glass Shard before moving on.

 

"Hey Rose, did you look at his knees yet?" I ask the girl scout.

"That was the first thing I checked. I needed to know that the Monokuma File was giving truthful information."

"And?"

"I can safely say that the Monokuma File is legitimate in every word."

"Okay, that's good to know. Thanks Rose." Julian tells her and she nods in acknowledgement.

I look at Rhys' body and I realize something significant.

"His clothes are different." Rhys isn't wearing his usual attire. Instead he's wearing a full-piece suit.

"Hey, yeah! He doesn't even have his pocket protector he usually wears!" Julian points out.

"Or his glasses." Rose adds.

This could be important. I better remember this.

 

 **[** Loaded  **Rhys' Suit** in the e-Handbook **]**

 

"That's all the evidence involved with the body, I'm afraid." Rose tells us, her face remaining still despite the underwhelming news.

"That's it? It's not a lot to work with..." I'm worried. I was hoping that we would look at the body and find a clue that points to someone. Anyone.

"Let's just look around some more. There could be more clues in here." Julian tells me.

"Yeah, maybe."

 

Julian and I move to the front desk where there's a bowl filled with water on top.

"I wonder what this is for?" Julian wonders and I have the same question.

"Not only that, but there's a wooden branch floating in the water."

"But there's no trees in here, so where did this come from?"

Hmmm...

 

 **[** Loaded  **Bowl of Water** in the e-Handbook **]**

 

"Hold on!" 

Angela's shouting pulls me out of my train of thought as I immediately go see what's wrong.

"Angela, what's the matter?!" I ask, wondering what's gotten into the drag queen.

"Do you not feel that?"

"Uh...no?" Julian answers, just as confused as I am.

"Be quiet and listen." Angela tells us, and we stop our talking and listen to whatever she wants us to hear.

Then, I begin to feel a pulsing in my feet! A familiar pulsing, but why do I feel it at all?!

"What  _is_ that?" Rose asks us, but no one can answer since we don't have a clue.

"O-Over h-h-ere!"

Jane leads us to behind the desk, where we see the Speaker from the American Room sitting underneath!

"What?! Why is this here?!" Julian asks surprised, and I can't blame him!

"More importantly, why is there no sound, but the bass is turned all the way up?" Wait, what?

I lean closer to see if what Rose said was true, and she's right! The music is turned down all the way, but the bass is turned all the way up! Why would someone do that?!

 

 **[** Loaded  **Speaker** in the e-Handbook **]**

 

"I wonder what this could mea-?"

I'm interrupted by Rose moving towards a spot next to the desk and kneels down on the floor. Confused, I move towards the girl scout

"Rose, what are you looking at?" I ask her.

"Take a look yourself." I do as she says and I kneel next to her to get a closer look at what she's looking at.

"There's a burnt up, papery clump on the ground!" I say in realization. "This must have been used to set off the fire alarm!

 

 **[** Loaded  **Burnt Clump** in the e-Handbook **]**

 

Rose gets up from and does the unthinkable! 

"Monokuma? Can you come here please?"

"R-Rose! What are you doing?!" I ask her, launching me out of my crouch and completely baffled!

"You'll see. Monokuma?"

Monokuma shows up in a flurry of smoke and confetti, ending in a strange pose!

"Monokumamon!"

"AAAAGH!" Of course, Jane gets scared again...

 "Monokuma, I'd like to know more about the Fire Alarm System." Rose asks our Headmaster.

"Huh? Why do you wanna know?!"

"Because the culprit obviously used the fire alarm for some reason. I want to know how it works." You know what? I never even thought of that!

"Hmmm, yeah I guess I can tell ya! Now, listen up ya bastards! The Fire Alarm only goes off immediately when it detects heavy amounts of smoke! When it does," Monokuma points to the sprinklers on the ceiling. "the sprinklers are immediately set off!"

"Immediately? Then how long did they set the fire for?" Julian ponders.

"Good question..."

 

 **[** Loaded  **Fire Alarm System** in the e-Handbook **]**

 

"Okay, byyyyyyyyyyyye!"

Monokuma leaves in the same flourish as he came in, leaving behind a puff of smoke.

"Well, I think we're done here for now. Can I come along Ben?" Rose requests.

"Yeah of course! We're about to head to the Dorms if that's okay with you?"

"That'll do just fine. Angela, can you and Jane guard the body?"

"Huh? Why?" Angela asks her, completely confused by Rose's request.

"It's so the culprit doesn't contaminate evidence. If there's one person, there's a chance that they're the culprit. To destroy that possibility, Jane can keep tabs on you and you can do the same for her."

Wow..

"Wow, good thinking hun! I never would've thought about that!" Angela flatters the girl scout.

"I-I-I m-may not be ab-able to d-do much, b-but I'll d-do my b-best!" Jane promises us, a strong determination on her face. Well, as '"determined" as Jane could possibly get anyway...

"Okay then, let's go." 

 

At Julian's command, we head to the Dorms, not seeing anything on the way, until we reach the entrances of the Shower Rooms. Both Fatima and Patty are there talking, so we decide to join the conversation.

"Hey guys, did you find anything yet?" I ask the duo.

"We have not found a single thing, but I want to you two look inside the Boy's Shower Room." Fatima tells us.

"Huh? Why?" Julian asks. I must admit, I'm pretty confused too. Why would Fatima want us to look in the showers?

"When I left my room to meet everyone for Monokuma's New Year's Bash, I saw Byron departing his room with a towel and a pair of clean clothes in his arms. I just want to see if he took a shower or not."

"He left his room around 11 PM?" Rose asks the humanitarian.

"Yes, he did."

It's worth noting...

 

 **[** Loaded  **Fatima's Testimony** in the e-Handbook **]**

 

"Hey Julian, you take showers in the morning, right?" Patty asks the internet star.

"Yeah, I do. Why?" he responds skeptically.

"Don't be suspicious of me! Unless you have something to be guilty over..."

"Patty, can we not?" I ask her and she responds with a stink eye.

"Hmph, you two will always defend each other, won't you?" Patty places her hands on her hips before continuing with her interrogation. "Anyways, I just wanted you to reiterate what Monokuma said to you about the Nighttime Rules, that's all."

"Oh, well you should've just said so." Julian says relieved.

I release the breath I was holding. I don't know what I'd do if he became a suspect. I trust at least him completely, so I'd be broken if he betrayed me!

"So, Monokuma told me that the water in our rooms get shut off after Nighttime starts along with the lights getting dimmer throughout the school. That's why I have to take showers in the Shower Room instead of my Dorm. He said it was for conservation purposes or something."

You know, we really have a lot of rules we need to abide by. Even the culprit has to follow them to a t! It would probably be smart to take the rules into account.

 

 **[** Loaded **Killing Game** **Rules** in the e-Handbook **]**

 

"Now that we are done with that, can you please look inside the Boy's Shower Room?" Fatima requests.

"Yeah, let's go Julian."

 

Julian and I head inside the Boy's Shower Room and I immediately hear a running shower head inside one of the stalls. I walk towards it and I see not only a running shower head, but two bundles of clothes as well on a nearby bench outside the stall.

"Why is the water still running in this stall?" Julian asks me, but I have no answer to give him. Instead I inspect the clothes on the bench. A powder blue, short-sleeved dress shirt, khakis, a black tie are in each pile, both drenched from head to toe. 

"Well, these clothes are familiar." 

Julian moves towards the bench to look at the clothes, he picks up each article, inspecting them closely.

"So, Byron did take a shower here." he concludes.

"That means Fatima's told us the truth. Something concrete at least."

We leave the Boy's Shower Room and we meet back up with the girls, who were waiting for us outside.

"So, was there anything in yours?" Patty asks us.

"Yeah, a running shower head and two bundles of Byron's clothes on one of the benches next to it." Julian relays to them. "So Fatima's story's 100% truthful."

"Hm, interesting. There was nothing inside the Girl's Shower Room." Rose says to us.

"Yes, no signs of use at all." Fatima adds.

So, the Boy's Shower Room was used, but not the Girl's?

 

 **[** Loaded  **Shower Rooms** in the e-Handbook **]**

 

"Okay, I think I'm done with the Dorm Area." I tell Julian and Rose.

"Where to next?" Rose asks me, studying her e-Handbook.

"Hey Benji, didn't you wanna look into the Glass Shard from before?" Julian reminds me, and thank god he did!

"Oh shit! Yeah, thanks for reminding me!"

"Yes, but where do you want to go?" Rose asks again.

"The American Room."

"Huh? Why there?" Julian asks puzzled.

"Actually, it makes perfect sense. Good thinking Ben." Rose says simply, masking the fact that she just complimented me.

 

We head towards the room in question and since the door's already open, we head inside to witness a most unbelievable sight! 

"Holy shit..." Julian mutters in shock, and i can't blame him at all!

The American Room is trashed! The NYC Ball Drop is shattered, its shards laying in a pool of purple liquid surrounded by green shards way fewer in numbers than it's mirror counterparts!

"Good, you're here. It's about time." Byron tells us sternly as he glares at us. He's in his regular clothes now, not just a towel anymore.

"Ugh, Byron can you not?! What the hell happened in here?!" I tell my overly annoying classmate.

"What are you yelling at me for?! I found it like this, you dolt!" 

"Wait, hold on. It was already in this state? You didn't do any of this?" Rose asks him

"Of course I didn't! Why on Earth would I do this?!"

"Okay, okay! Geez, so angry..." Julian says in an attempt to clam down the furious student.

If Byron found the room like this then...

 

 **[** Loaded  **Mess in American Room** in the e-Handbook **]**

 

Ignoring everyone, I move around the room and stop at the table displaying the Sparkling Wine Bottles.

"Hey, there were way more bottles here when we investigated before!" Julian exclaims as he takes a better look at the fruity elixirs. 

"By how much exactly?" Rose asks the man.

"Uh, I have no idea. Benji and I didn't count them." 

"What? You didn't think to count how much was there?!" Byron also asks Julian completely surprised by his lack of attention to detail.

"Hey, I didn't think they would be important! I didn't think a murder would happen!"

I let out a sigh as the two men get into yet another argument. We're not gonna get anywhere if they keep on acting immature! 

"Monokuma?"

Huh? Again?

 

Our Headmaster appears in the door way suddenly!

"AAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!"

...

...

...

"AAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!"

...

Again no one reacted to him. But he keeps on trying and trying and trying! Jesus Christ! How long is he gonna keep this up?! My ears are bleeding!

"Monokuma, there were wine bottles at the party, correct?"

"AAAAaaaa-Oh whatever! You guys are no fun! Yes, I grabbed wine bottles from here for my New Year's Bash! Half of 'em!"

"Thank you. You may leave now." Rose says simply.

"Of course I'm gonna leave! You guys have no sense of humor at all! Why would I ever want to be around so many people with a stick up their ass?!"

And just like that, Monokuma leaves again in a cloud of insults.

"Well, fuck you too." I say under my breath. But more importantly, he took half of the bottles? There's eight here, so logically, there should be eight in the Gym. Hopefully...

 

 **[** Loaded  **Sparkling Wine Bottles** in the e-Handbook **]**

 

"You three, come here now." Rose says sternly as Julian and I leave the table with the wine.

Julian, Byron and I meet Rose at the corner of the room with the crate of fireworks.

"What is it now?" Byron asks the girl scout.

"I was looking through the crate to see if there was any missing fireworks. My hypothesis is that the culprit used a firework to cause the fire alarm to go off."

"Well, did you find anything Rose?" Julian asks, wanting answers.

"No, but I found this."

Just then Rose pushes the crate out from it's original position and-

"A-A grate?!" Julian gasps.

"What's a grate doing here?!" Byron asks me critically.

Behind the crate, there's a metal grate with the cover removed a bit, as if someone rushed to put it back on!

"I have no idea! When Julian and I searched the room, we never noticed it. It's pretty well hidden." 

"Ben, can you go to the Chinese Room? I want to confirm something. If you don't mind." Rose asks me and I do as I'm told.

I leave the American room and open the door to the Chinese Room, which has no immediate damage done to it. My eye immediately catches the fireworks crate move and shift away from the wall!

"Wh-What the hell?!" I exclaim in surprise!

"Relax, it's just me."

Rose crawls out of a hole in the wall and Julian and Byron follow shortly after!

"So, that's where the grate leads to?!" I ask her.

"Yes, so there's a connection to the two rooms. You wouldn't have to leave one to get to the other. Interesting..."

Duly noted...

 

 **[** Loaded **Hidden** **Grate** in the e-Handbook **]**

 

"No only that, but I specifically remember Rhys and Topaz saying there was a manual." Byron mentions, although, I don't understand why...

"Yeah, they did. So?" I ask him, a little too rude for my liking, but whatever, he deserves no courtesy!

"Don't talk to me like that, pedestrian! I'm trying to say that it isn't here!"

What? I look around the room, check every crevice, and low and behold, the manual is nowhere in the room!

"Wait, if it's not here, then where is it?!" Julian asks.

"That's what I'd like to know."

"Same..." Where did it go? It has to be around here somewhere...

 

 **[** Loaded  **Missing Manual** in the e-Handbook **]**

 

The four of us continue searching the Chinese Room, but nothing else of note is found by any of us.

"I guess that's it." Rose says to us dismissively.

"Well, if that's the case, I'm heading back to my room. I've done my part." Byron says as he begins to walk out of the room.

"What?! Aren't you gonna help everyone?!" Julian tells the actor.

"No, I have no need or desire to."

"Are you serious?! You're just a part of this group as any of us! We need everyone to find this killer!"

Julian continues to plead and plead and I begin to feel bad for him. He wants to get along with Byron, but Byron's shutting everyone out.

"You look and sound pathetic. That's Brown's job, not yours." Byron begins to turn around again..

Oh shit, I forgot to ask him! "Byron, wai-!"

"What Brown?! What do you want?!" he yells directly in my face! I can feel his spit sprayed across my cheeks!

"I need you to ask you something, that's all..."

"Well, hurry up. I'm not a patient person." Byron says as he folds his arms across his chest. That much is obvious...

"During the party, what did you do until you met up with us?"

"Hm, so an alibi. Unfortunately, I don't have one for you. I wasn't with anyone. I left my room and went to take a shower in the Boy's Shower Room. The only person I saw was Fatima on my way out of my room." 

"That's it?"

"That's it. Now, I'm done with all of you."

And just like that, Byron leaves the room and leaves a toxic air around us.

"Well, you can say all you want about him, but you can't deny that Byron is a...personality." Rose says to us, but I'm not sure what her intent was since there was no inflection in her voice.

"You've said it."

 

With that, the three of us leave the Chinese Room and I see the twins standing at the front of the Office double doors. Wait, where's Angela? I thought she was guarding the crime scene? 

"Hey you two, what are you doing here?" I ask them as I walk over.

"Excusez-moi?! Avez-vous entendu ce rat Claus?!" Ufelia yells as she darts her glare between me and her brother! What the hell's going on?!

"Ufelia! Calm down! I'm sure he ne le pensait pas."

After a few more words, Claus apparently was able to calm his sister down and they're back to their usual stoic self. Rose, Julian, and I are just forced to stare in awe at the drastic change in moods, especially Ufelia!

"Anyways, Angela wanted to enquêter. Sorry, investigate, so she saw us and asked us to watch the scene of the crime." Claus informs us.

"Well, at least she got replacements." Rose comments with, I'm guessing, a sigh of relief.

"Actually, Claus, I need to ask you and Ufelia some questions if you don't mind." I ask the Benafonte twins.

"Really? Why us? I mean, I can see why anyone would want to talk to us, but again, why?" Wow, conceited much?

"Well, you two didn't go to the party. I just want to know what you guys did during the New Year's Bash."

"Oh, un alibi! Part de gâteau! We were together the entire time!"

"Claus, we need specifics. Where did you go?" Rose asks the ballet dancer.

"Here and there, we really didn't stay in one place. Right Ufelia?" Claus asks his sister.

"Oui, after all this time, we haven't explored this entire place. We seized the opportunité to do so."

"Okaaaaay...but where did you go?" Julian asks them, reiterating the importance of the question.

"How should we know? We went to so many des endroits that we just don't remember where or exactly the order!" Claus answers simply, as if it's the simple, absolute fact.

"But if we remember, we'll let you know." his sister says immediately following her brother's statement.

Wow...how vague...

 

 **[** Loaded  **The Twin's Testimony** in the e-Handbook **]**

 

"Are we done now?" Ufelia asks, obviously annoyed by our barrage of questions.

"Nope, just one more thing we need to go over." I tell her and she rolls her eyes in response.

"What else could there be?" Claus asks incredulously.

"I want to know more details about your fight with Rhys today."

"What fight?" Rose asks. Oh boy...I forgot...

"Yes Benjamin, what fight?" Ufelia asks me in warning. No! There's no turning back now! Someone's been murdered!

"Ufelia, I'm not hiding your fight with Rhys! Jesus Christ, he's dead!" I tell her, trying to get her to see how ridiculous she's being!

"Hiding? So that's what happened this morning." Rose says to herself, putting the final piece in the puzzle.

"Benjamin, since you want to know sooooo badly, I guess I have no choix but to tell you!" Ufelia let's out a large breath before continuing. "Rhys has been obsédé with me ever since he saw me. At first I thought it was flatteur, but he wouldn't leave me the hell alone! It reached de pointe this morning and I le mettre à sa place. He deserved it for harassing me and I don't regret it."

"Ufelia, sois gentil!" Claus exclaims! "Why would you say that?! He's mort! Be nice!"

"No! I don't care! Besides, those four already know how much I méprise ce rat!"

"Wait, which four?" Rose asks the girl.

"Benjamin's group, except for Angela since she was with you."

Yeah, I guess she's right. We could use this to corroborate Ufelia's story.

 

 **[** Loaded  **Ufelia/Rhys Fight** in the e-Handbook **]**

 

Alright, I think I'm done with these two.

"Tha-"

I look around and I realize that they're gone!

"Did-Did they already leave?" I ask Rose and Julian.

"Eh, if we need more info, we'll get it at the trial." Julian assures me.

"And I believe they know something they're not telling us, so they better cough up what they know." Rose adds with a skepticism that matches mine. Those two are enigmas, that's for sure... 

 

We are heading next to the Storage Room, not for anything in particular, but to be thorough. As we go in, I see Topaz and Gabriel talking about something, so I lead Julian and Rose to our friends.

"Hey guys? What are you talking about?" I ask them.

"Well, I'm not so sure myse-" Gabe begins before he's interrupted by Topaz's boisterous voice.

"What do you reckon this is about Ben?!" Topaz exclaims as she points towards the shelves lined with various camping materials, tents, rope, sleeping bags, but the interesting thing is the many open bowls of soaked trail mix.

"Every bowl is nearly empty. And the water in them tells me that they were emptied before the Fire Alarm was set off." Rose hypothesizes with an absolute certainty.

"Really? You think?" Julian asks her.

"That's the only thing that makes sense. To me, at least..." Gabe adds confidently.

While they're discussing the trail mix, I notice something else nearby and I move to investigate it. There's a cooler right near the trail mix and when I open it, there are a bunch of empty, plastic cups surrounded by, I'm assuming, their discarded lids. I take one of the cups to examine further and notice that they were once filled with a thick, yellow substance. Out of curiosity, I sniff the inside of the cup.

"Bananas..." I quietly say to myself.

"Hey Benji, what's that?" 

"Jesus Christ!"

I'm scared out of my thoughts by Julian suddenly appearing behind my left shoulder! And from the looks of it, he's startled as well! Well he doesn't have a right to be! He scared the shit out of me first!

"Don't do that! Shit!" I yell at him and the other three begin to crowd.

"Sorry! I didn't know it'd scare you! Honest!" Julian says with panic in his eyes. Awww, how can I be mad?

"J-Just don't do it again please, okay?" 

"I promise."

"Okay, now that you two are finished," Rose says pulling me back to our current situation. "I'd like to point out that the cooler and drinks seem very familiar, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I'm thinking the same thing." I tell her.

"Huh?! What the hell'r you talkin' 'bout?" Topaz asks in her southern twang.

"Topaz! How many times to I have t-" Gabe begins...

But Topaz finishes his sentence for him! "Gabriel, shut it!" 

Uh....

 

 **[** Loaded  **Trail Mix and Cooler** in the e-Handbook **]**

 

I suddenly remember something strange I noticed about Rhys' body and I make a beeline for the clothing section!

"Hey Benji, where're you going?!" Julian asks loudly to make sure I hear him.

"Come with me!" I answer just as loud!

Shortly after, I hear every one of them stampede after me, following me to a destination unknown to them, but very known to me. I was just there today after all.

The Changing Rooms. If I'm right, I think I can pinpoint exactly where Rhys went! I just need to see if he used one of the changing booths! I furiously check each door and I can hear my friends talking to me, asking questions, but I can't make out the words. All that matters is finding the booth Rhys possibly used! And, almost as I'm about to give up, I check the last booth. And I realize that my hunch was right!

"There it is!" I exclaim in excitement!

"There  _what_ is?! Dang nabbit, I want answers!" Topaz yells in frustration.

I open the door all the way and their eyes widen in realization, just like mine did!

"Clothes..." Gabriel mumbles shocked!

"Rhys' Clothes!" Julian says with absolute certainty! "Even his pocket protector and glasses are there!"

"This means he came here at some point to change into his suit. But why?" Rose asks out loud.

"I don't know yet. But we have to find out." We get one thing answered and we get many more questions on top of the old one! Can't we just get a simple answer?!

 

 **[** Loaded  **Changing Room** in the e-Handbook **]**

 

Even though we've found a victory in the despair of our friend's unfortunate death, the latter's the most important thing, so I swallow it down and move on. Rhys will  _not_ be forgotten. Especially by me.

"Hey Rose, since we've taken a picture of this, do you think his pocket protector's important to the case?" I ask the girl scout who gives me a quizzical look.

"It's a part of his clothing, but besides that, not really. Why?"

"I want it." I tell her simply and she recoils in, what I assume, shock.

"What?" 

"I want something to remember him by. I won't let him be forgotten, he deserves better than that and if no one else will, he'll know I remember him. I may have went on a tangent, but I truly believe in what I'm saying! Not only will we not forget, but whoever's on the outside won't forget as long as I'm still breathing. And believe me, I intend on still breathing."

Th...They're just looking at me...

"Holy pig shit..." Topaz mutters.

"Holy, holy, and everything holy..." Gabe follows.

"What? What did I say?" I ask everyone, a bit concerned about why they're not talking, talking while making sense at least.

"What we needed to hear Benji. That was amazing!" Julian runs up and hugs the breath out of me!

"I didn't know we meant so much to you Ben. Of course you can have it. There's no evidence proving it's importance to the murder after all." Rose tells me which swells my heart so much that I almost cry, but I just manage to hold it in.

"Thank you guys."

 

After taking Rhys' Pocket Protector, the three of us say good bye to Topaz and Gabe and we go to the Gymnasium, to the New Year's Bash. Everything's just like we left it, but soaked by the Fire Alarm being set off. 

"I want to confirm the amount of Sparkling Wine Bottles that were at the party first, so you two can do what you want while I check that." Rose tells me and Julian.

"Yeah, sure thing Rose. See you in a sec." Julian tells her and we go to talk to Monica while she went to the food table.

 

"Hey Monica, have you found anything yet?" I ask her.

"Nah, there's nothin' here even close to being about the case. Sorry dude."

"That's okay, you tried at least!" Julian assures her and some of the pressure written on her face leaves her body.

"But besides that Monica, you came late to the party with Gabriel right?" I inquire to the pink-haired girl.

"Oh, yeah, I did. What's it to you?" she asks me, her eyebrow raised in suspicion.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I'm not implying anything! I just want to know what you did when you weren't at the party, that's all!"

"Oh, dude why didn't you say so earlier!"

I didn't get the chance...

"Well, today, I saw that Rhys was sad and shit, so I made plans to hang out with him instead of going to the New Year's Bash."

"Wait, you met with Rhys?!" Julian asks dumbfoundedly, taking my very emotion out of my soul!

"Well, I was supposed to! Until he ditched me, that is. So I decided to go to the stupid party after that." she answers annoyed.

"How long did you wait for him?" I ask her.

"Not long, maybe ten minutes. But I got sidetracked when I saw Gabriel's door open, so I went to see what the hell was going on and I saw him just standing there like a deer in headlights!"

"Oh, so that's why you two came in together?" Julian asks.

"Yeah, I sorta helped him leave his room, which was a pain in the ass to do! That dude's so insecure!"

"You two were together the entire time after that?" I ask her, sounding probably like a broken record with my endless questions.

"Yeah, but after I finally got him to go to the New Year's Bash, I went to the Shower Room to go to the bathroom and then we went to the party after that."

"Okay, thank you Monica! That's all I need to know!" I tell her with a smile.

"No problem dude, even if it was tedious as fuck! Whatever I can do to help!"

 

 **[** Loaded  **Monica's Testimony** in the e-Handbook **]**

 

Julian and I leave Monica and go to Gomez, who seems to be holding Rose's clipboard from the party.

"Hey Gomez, why do you have that?" I ask him, not remembering Rose ever putting it down.

"Hello my comrades. This is Rose's Attendance List." he says flashing a sneak peek at it's contents.

"Why are you looking at that?" Julian asks.

"I believe it's important, my friends. This details everyone that went to the party and didn't. Important to know, no?" 

Okay, he has a point...

"Yeah, it's pretty important actually. Can we see it?" I ask the masseur.

"Of course my friends, can you give it back to Rose after you're done?"

"Of course, thank you Gomez!"

"But how isn't it completely destroyed?" Julian asks.

"She put a protective film over the sheet, like a lamination." Gomez answers before leaving to do whatever he wanted to do I guess.

 

With that, Julian and I look over Rose's Attendance List:

 

_ ATTENDANCE LIST _

 

  _Benjamin- **P**_

_Ufelia- **A**_

_Claus- **A**_

_Patty- **P**_

_Gomez- **P**_

_Fatima- **P**_

_Julian- **P**_

_Monica- **T    11:30**_

_Gabriel- **T   11:30**_

_Sherry-Anne- **P**_

_Angela- **P**_

_Jane- **P**_

_Byron- **A**_

_Topaz- **P**_

_Rhys- **A**_

_Rose- **P**_

_P= Present_

_A= Absent_

_T= Tardy_

 

 

"So, the only people that didn't go to the party are Claus, Ufelia, Byron...and Rhys. But Monica and Gabriel are the only people that didn't go to the party at first and went later

 at 11:30." I sum up to Julian.

"Good to know."

 

 **[** Loaded  **Rose's Attendance List** in the e-Handbook **]**

 

"Ben, Julian, come over here." I hear Rose beckon from the food table and we head over to meet her and Sherry-Anne, who also must have been investigating the table.

"Hey, you left your clipboard here. Gomez found it and told us to give it to you." Julian tells her as he hands the clipboard over.

"Oh, thank you. But we have a problem."

Problem? What problem?

"What is it?" I ask her hesitantly.

"Sherry-Anne, you counted the bottles on the table correct?" Rose asks the zoologist.

"Yeah, what about it Blonde Orphan Annie?" Sherry-Anne counters rather rudely.

"First of all, watch your mouth and treat people with respect." Rose says sternly and with dagger-filled eyes.

"Jesus Christ! Okay! I'm sorry!"

Wow, Rose made Sherry-Anne learn her place. I'm glad I'm not on her bad side anymore...

"Second, how many bottles were on the table?"

"Nine."

Huh?!

"Wait, but didn't Monokuma say he took half of the bottles?" Julian asks us.

"He did, and if there's nine here and eight there then..." Rose begins, hoping we reach the same destination as her.

"We have a missing bottle on our hands." I add, but my mind's running a mile a minute! What did the culprit do with it?

 

 **[** Updated  **Sparkling Wine Bottles** in the e-Handbook **]**

 

"I guess that's everywhere huh?" Julian points out and I realize that yeah, we've looked everywhere and I'm just as confused as before!

"There has to be something else! None of this stuff makes sense at all!" I plead not to him, but to some kind of miracle maker that will offer up more evidence that can lead to our killer!

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it now. You should put Rhys' Pocket Protector in your room before the Class Trial starts."

"Yeah, I probably should."

 

The three of us head to the Dorms, discussing the evidence we've collected and trying to make sense of all the chaos. But then I see it! Something I've never noticed before!

"Guys, was that dragon's tooth always crooked?" I ask Rose and Julian who both turn to see exactly I was talking about.

"Huh." Julian moves to the Golden Dragon Statue and begins to examine it's mouth before pulling the crooked tooth loose!

"Julian! What are you doing?!" I ask him, frightened by what could possibly happen!

"Um..." Julian says confused as he pulls a black and white key out from the tooth!

"Wait, what?!" What the fuck is going on?!

"Julian let me see that." Rose snatches the key from Julian and examines it closely before speed walking down the hallway.

"Hey Rose! Where are you going?!" I ask her and I run after her with Julian running right with me!

 

Rose leads us to the Office and heads behind the main desk.

"Rose can you tell us what's going on?!" I beg her, just wanting anything to explain her sudden inspiration!

"This key can change this entire case." Rose tells us before putting the key into the keyhole of the drawer and opens it!

"Wait, that key unlocks the drawer?!" Julian asks amazed by the discovery.

Again, what the fuck is going on?!

 

 **[** Loaded  **Strange Key** in the e-Handbook **]**

 

Rose dips her hand in the drawer and pulls out a brown plastic bottle, examining it closely.

"Hmmm, what could this be?" she asks before pulling off the cork. "Julian, smell this please."

"Oh, uh sure." 

And sniff it he did, but afterwords, he fell to the ground!

"Julian! Julian! Are you okay?!" I yell as I run for him! I check his face and I see that he's conscious, but dazed and confused!

"What? What happened?" Julian asks us.

"You were knocked out by whatever's in the plastic bottle." Rose explains.

"You just had one sniff and you went down like the Titanic." I tell him and he looks at me with his eyes and smile wide.

"Benji, that was so fucked up, but funny at the same time!" Julian tells me through his dazed stupor.

"Yeah, I know." I tell him, proud that I was able to pull him out of his daze.

"More importantly, what's in the bottle that it would immediately knock Julian out?" Rose asks us.

Hmmmm...what indeed....

 

 **[** Loaded  **Plastic Bottle** in the e-Handbook **]**

 

Rose now pulls out a pair of red underwear and I can't help but feel confused.

"Hey Benji, you don't think they're from the American Room, do you?"

"Oh yeah! Check there!" I tell him and he leaves the Office.

"Ben, can you sniff these as well?" Rose asks me out of nowhere!

"Wh-What?! Isn't that inappropriate?!" I tell her, trying to knock some sense into her!

"Ben, it's important."

"But can't Julian do it?! I don't wa-!"

"You're the only other one here right now. Please smell the underwear." she ends her request by holding out the underwear for me to take.

...I hate this. 

...I really hate this.

I grab the red underwear and I reluctantly sniff them a-

 

Darkness. A void filled with indescribable lucid dreams. And when I say indescribable, I do mean  _indescribable_...

"Benji?! Benji! Wake up!"

Huh? My eyes waken from their slumber and I see Julian looking down on me, a look of concern clear on his face.

"Wha..?"

"Oh good, you're okay! What the hell happened Rose?!"

"Out of a hunch, I had him sniff the underwear in the drawer."

"And...?!" Julian's really trying to see the relevance here isn't he...

"And then this happened."

...

...

...Wow, he doesn't really get the obvious right away, does he?

"Okay Julian, help me up please."

"Oh, sorry Benji."

After he finally helps me up, my mind jumps immediately back to the case. A bit fuzzy, yes, but focused enough.

"So, Julian was knocked out by whatever's in the bottle and I was knocked out by whatever's on the underwear. Then..."

"It can't be a coincidence. They're related." Rose tells me.

"Oh, I get it! So the killer must have used them for something!" Julian tells us proudly.

Good job Julian. Good job...

 

 **[** Loaded  **Red Underwear** in the e-Handbook **]**

 

"Wait, but that doesn't explain everything! Why did Rhys even come here?" I ask the two of them.

"Yeah, he was supposed to meet with Monica, remember? Why did he ditch her to come here?" Julian asks.

"Don't worry, there's one more spot I think we can check." Rose assures us, but it doesn't do shit for me. I just get questions flooding my mind.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Julian asks her.

"The back rooms."

"Uh, don't you mean to say the  _locked_ back rooms?" I tell her who, in response, holds up the monochrome key at eye level so that I get a really close look at it. "Oooooooh!"

Rose goes to the left room and puts the key in the lock and twists it.

_Kerchuck!_

"It opened!" Julian says astonished by the latest development!

Rose opens the door and reveals a typical office setup, manila walls, a wooden desk that you can tell isn't really wood, metal filing cabinets, even an occasional faux plant here and there. But more importantly, I notice a high tech computer on top of the desk!

"A computer? What's this for?" I wonder to myself.

"Not just a computer Ben, a printer as well."

Now that Rose says that, I do realize now that there's also a printer next to the computer! State of the art as well! I walk towards the computer and begin investigating everything about it, the dotted texture of the keyboard, the sleekness of it's exterior, overall it's a great computer to me! But, why is it here?

"Let's turn it on!" Julian asks. "Maybe we can get help!"

"Julian, there's no way Monokuma would let this room be unlocked if we could use the computer to call for help." Rose tells the guy who is now slumped in disappointment. "However, it wouldn't be a bad idea to see what's on it."

"Good idea, you check this out and I'm gonna look around some more."

I leave Julian and Rose to their own devices and I search around the back room for anything that could do with the case. I check every corner of the small room, every inch of the filing cabinets, I even check in and under the plants, but nothing! After searching the entire room, I almost give up until I notice a wired waste bin directly next to the desk! I have no idea how I didn't see it! I pick up the waste bin and I realize that it isn't a waste bin at all! It's a paper shredder! And it already has shredded pieces of paper in it! If this room was locked, then there shouldn't be anything inside at all! So, why is there?

 

 **[** Loaded  **Paper Shredder** in the e-Handbook **]**

 

"Hm? What's that?" Rose says to me as she looks at me.

"A paper shredder. It was next to the desk when I found it."

"No, not that. That." 

Rose points to a spot right above where the paper shredder is, to a book on the desk with a white bookmark in it. I pick the book up and I look at the outside of it.

"What is this?" I ask out loud.

"Hey Benji, let me see that."

I hand the book to Julian and he begins to read the beginning of the book, his eyes widening with shock as he digests the information.

"What? What is it?" I ask him, my nerves in the back of my throat.

"It's the Fireworks Manual!"

"Excuse me?" Rose asks in a monotone tone, but I can tell she's just as surprised as we are.

"Yeah, it's talking about how to use the fireworks!"

"Wait, go to the bookmark then! Whoever took the book must have wanted that page specifically!" I tell him excitedly!

"And read it out loud. We can't waste time reading it one at a time."

Julian opens to the bookmarked page and begins reading:

 

_Chapter 8: How to use our Paper Lanterns_

_When using our state-of-the-art paper lanterns, recognize that you will not have to relight or light new ones_

_if you are hosting a party or any event! Why you ask? Because our lanterns stay lit for a maximum of 90 minutes!_

_However, if they are to remain lit after the 90 minute limit, the lanterns will combust and  cause severe amounts of smoke!_

_Recommendations: Evacuate immediately! Unless, of course, you want to pull a Sylvia Plath and kill yourself!_

_That's okay too!_

 

"Hm, so the question is, why did the culprit want to know about the paper lanterns?" Rose ponders out loud.

"It'll be good to know that the culprit saved this page anyways."

"I just wish there was more to the page. Everything in here has only one side to it. It explains one thing on each page and moves on when you turn the page." Julian observes, which, I admit, is a very weird trait for a book to have...

This Fireworks Manual could help clear up some things. Maybe someone will have an idea about the info in it.

 

 **[** Updated and changed the name of **Missing Manual** to  **Fireworks Manual** in the e-Handbook **]**

 

"Well, Ben. There's one more thing you need to see." Rose tells me.

"Really? What?" I ask her.

"See for youself." She gestures to the computer screen as she turns on the screen.

Okay, that's vague...

I look at the screen and there's only one thing in front of me. A Word Document, nothing more, nothing less. I begin reading what's on the screen:

 

  _My darling Rhys,_

 

                     _I apologize for my earlier rudeness. To be quite frank, I believe I must have been lying to myself,_ _t_ _elling myself that I don't have feelings for you. If you'd like, can you meet me in the office at_ _around 10:30 PM? I'd love to clear the air between us!_

  _With love,_

_Ufelia Benafonte XOXO_

 

 

 Wh....What?!

 

 **[** Loaded  **Computer/Printer Setup** in the e-Handbook **]**

 

 **[** Loaded  **Rhys' Letter** in the e-Handbook **]**  

 

**DING DONG BING BONG!**

 

"Alright bastards! That's enough! It's the time you've all been waiting for! It's time for your exciting, exhilarating, Class Trial! Please make your way to the Red Door and enter the Trial Grounds!"

 

"Wait, that's it?! We have no answers! Just questions, god damn it!" I yell, banging my fists on the desk!

"Benji, you need to have faith! We can do this, I know we can!" Julian says encouragingly.

"Besides Ben, I think we have more answers than you think. We just need to get creative." Rose tells me, adding another question to my collection already! Why on Earth does she have to be so vague?! Give me a fucking answer already!!!

"Hey Benji, you still have Rhys' Pocket Protector?" Julian asks me.

"Yeah, of course I do. Why?"

"Put it in your backpack. Then you can have him with you at the trial. Your doing this for him, remember? That means you have to try your hardest for him. He deserves justice and we're the only ones that can give him that! No matter how impossible it seems, we have to try Benji! We have to!"

"Julian..." God, why is he so amazing?!

"We have to go guys, the others are probably waiting for us." Rose informs us.

"Oh yeah, you're right! Let's go!"

 

The three of us all head to the infamous door and we see our classmates waiting there, most likely for us.

"There you are. It took you long enough." Byron tells us with a scowl.

"Shut it, Byron. Unnecessary commentary is, well, unnecessary.  So shut your mouth." Patty tells the actor.

"I don't have to listen to you! Watch your mouth before I shut it for you!"

"You will not do any such thing Byron!" Fatima says to him in a disciplinary manner.

And, just like that, we're in an uproar....again...

"Everyone." 

The fighting stops. Everyone's paying attention to Rose again. Thank god.

"We need to focus. We need to have our absolute attention on the case. We can't afford to make a mistake. Only we can decide our fate."

And they've shut up for good. Their minds away from their previous arguments. A part of me thinks that they were trying to hold on to our lives before Rhys' demise, but it's too late for that now.

"Okay everybody, are you ready?"

"We don't have a choice, do we hun?" Angela asks everyone.

"No, we don't" I answer.

And with that, I take hold of both handles and I pulled them hard, opening the door to our Trial Grounds. At least that's what I thought...

 

"What the fuck is that?" Monica asks quietly, but since we're all quiet, it sounded louder than it really was.

Before us, was a large, golden brass birdcage, a door at the center of it.

"What in tarnation is that thang?!" Topaz asks loudly.

"Well, let's see, shall we friends?" Gomez says before entering the cage. Jesus, I'm getting nervous! What is he doing?!

"W-Well? Wh-Wh-What i-is it?" Jane asks fearfully.

"An elevator." Gomez responds simply.

"An elevator? Where to?" I ask out loud.

"To the Trial Grounds, of course! God Brown, stop being an idiot and get with the program!"

Oh that's it! I begin marching towards the actor, my fists clenched and ready for blood! But then, I feel a pair of hands on my shoulders and I turn around to see Julian holding me back from hurting Byron.

"It's not worth it Benji. As much as I want you to beat his ass again, remember what's important."

"Yeah..." Rhys...

Everyone begins filing in the bird cage and once everyone is inside the circular elevator, Rose presses the button since she's the closest to the controls. And now, our descent begins.

"You know, at least the ride is smooth." Sherry-Anne comments.

"Your priorities amaze me Sherry-Anne..." Gabriel says to her.

"Aw, thank you!"

"How long does this ascenseur go exactly?" Ufelia asks us.

"What the fuck is ascenseur?! Speak English if you don't mind!" Topaz yells at the ballerina.

"Of course Topaz, anything for our favorite vache." Claus tells her.

"Oh, now what does that mean now?!" Topaz's frustration getting to her.

"Person. It means person."

"Oh, well that just fine then, thank you!"

"You are so welcome...."

 

Soon after, the elevator stops and the doors open, revealing an unbelievable sight! We were taken to a room that resembles a cook out of some sort. There's astro turf on the ground, a grill, large screens on the walls showing fireworks lighting up the night sky, but the thing that catches my immediate attention are the podiums in front of Monokuma's typical throne!

"Welcome to the Trial Grounds! The place where the magic happens! And I'm not talking about coitus! I'm talking about my favorite part of the Killing Game! The Class Trial!" Monokuma yells cheerfully.

"What's with the podiums?" Rose asks him.

"That's where you'll be when you talk about Rhys' murder! There's a podium for each of you! And by each of you, I do mean each of you! Dead or alive..."

Wait, what?

I look around and I see what he's talking about. A picture of Rhys smiling on a podium, black cloth draped like a funeral portrait and a red x  through it.

"What a fucked up thing to do Monokuma." I tell the bear child straightforwardly.

"What?! I think everyone should be here for the main event! Now, before we begin, I've gotta give ya something!"

 

A beep reverberates through out the Trial Grounds, meaning we have a new update on our e-Handbook. When I open mine, I see a new app with a crowned, monochrome bear on it.

"What is this exactly?" Byron asks.

"It's the Class Trial App! When you want to discuss evidence, just send a picture of the evidence you want to show to the group chat and it'll pop up on the monitor behind me! It'll make this a whole lot easier for you! You see, we're high-teching it up in this bitch! Now, go take your spots so we can begin!"

 

We each take our places and I notice that I'm in front of Monokuma's throne with Rose to my right and Ufelia to my left. I can't help but look at Rhys' podium, at his picture.

 

Rhys Morimoto, killed in his darkest hours. Just earlier today, he was pining for Ufelia's affection only to be shot down hard and unmercifully. It's so cruel! He didn't deserve this and I will find his killer!

 I know that the killer has to be one of us, but it doesn't make it any harder! To think one of my friends could do such a thing...!

 But I made a promise to Rhys that I'll catch his killer, no matter what! And he deserves that at least!

 I'll get justice for my friend who was taken before he got to truly recover from his pain. But maybe he can find a semblance of peace where he ended up...

It's time for us to give Rhys his due justice! At the Class Trial! Where the Guilty and the Innocent collide!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya'll, it's the moment we've all been waiting for! It's time to find Rhys' Killer! God, I'm so excited and I can't wait for you to try and solve this case! I can't wait to see your theories! I know you can do it! Happy Holidays! And thank you for the love recently!
> 
> Also, here's the order of the podiums:
> 
> Going clockwise, it goes Benjamin, Ufelia, Claus, Patty, Gomez, Fatima, Julian, Monica, Gabriel, Sherry-Anne, Angela, Jane, Byron, Topaz, Rhys, Rosemary.


	9. Chapter One: Be Careful What You Wish For TRIAL I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope's Peak Academy heralds the best of the best students from across the nation to gather at one place to hone and enhance their specific talents, igniting the hope of society to see a better and brighter tomorrow behind the smiles and eyes of those chosen to attend. The America Chapter of the academy has just begun to recruit and Benjamin Brown has been chosen as the Senior Class' Ultimate Lucky Student, randomly drawn from a nationwide lottery. To be chosen to attend a prestigious school, he has to be lucky right? Well he thought, until his world was turned upside down as soon as he entered the school. The school where a single bad decision can get you killed, robbing you of the hope that can quell the hunger of despair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I absolutely DO NOT own anything Danganronpa, the rights and the thanks go to Kazutaka Kodaka and Spike Chunsoft. However, I do own every character except for one, which you will see eventually. I own all of the students basically. I hope you enjoy and I do take feedback, so comment to your hearts content!  
> \------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Also, the format will change for the Class Trials to be more interactive, like the game. For Class Trials only, the format will be like a script, each character getting lines of dialogue.
> 
> Benjamin's thoughts will be bold outside of interactive bits while everything else won't be.
> 
> In the minigames, bold words will be stuff you can counter using the evidence provided to you, bold italics will be stuff you can agree with using the evidence provided.
> 
> That's it! Hope you enjoy!

**CLASS TRIAL BEGIN! ALL RISE!**

 

Monokuma: Now then, let's begin with a simple explanation of a Class Trial! Your votes will determine your own fates!

Monokuma: Your goal is to vote for your classmate who committed the crime, then only they will be punished! But if you vote for an innocent classmate...

Monokuma: Then I'll punish everyone besides the guilty classmate! Then, they will be able to leave the school and graduate! Scot free!

Monokuma: Without further ado, let's begin the trial of Rhys Morimoto's murder!

Julian: Speaking of "begin", how exactly do we do that?

Sherry-Anne: Beats me! Never been to a real trial before!

Angela: This isn't a real trial hun. In any sense of the word.

Gabriel: First, let us pray, shall we?

Jane: H-Huh? Wh-Wh-Why?

Topaz: For no god damned reason! That's why! We're wastin' time!

Rosemary: Sadly Gabriel, we don't have time for that. You can do that after we survive the trial, okay?

Gabriel: Oh, okay...

Fatima: Do not worry Gabriel, I will pray with you if you would like! Is that acceptable?

Gabriel: Thank you! I'll take you up on that!

Byron: That's all well and good, but, as we have just said, you're wasting our time. So stop spewing your religious crap and focus! I won't die because of your senseless chattering!

Monica: Hey! That was uncalled for, you prick!

Rosemary: Enough. We can't bicker like this when our lives are on the line.

**Oh, thank god! I really thought that would go on forever again! Rose sure knows how to control a room, damn...**

Monica: ...

Byron: ...

Gomez: Now that we're done with the trivial drama...

Monica: "Trivial"?!-

Gomez: May I suggest a beginning topic?

Julian: Sure! Go ahead man!

Patty: Couldn't be any less productive than the rest of our discussion so far...

**Well, here we go. I'm not sure I'm ready for this, but I can fake it till I make it.**

**...Hopefully...**

Rosemary: Well, let's get started, shall we?

 

**NONSTOP DEBATE! START!**

 

**Evidence: Monokuma File #1, Rose's Attendance List, Plastic Bottle**

 

Gomez: I'd like to discuss how exactly Rhys was killed.

Julian: Uh, it's fairly obvious, isn't it?

Julian: All you had to do was look at him and you'd know!

Sherry-Anne: Well, some of us haven't gotten a chance to see the body...

Sherry-Anne: So **we wouldn't actually know the cause of death**.

Byron: Are you actually saying that you came here without investigating the reason why we're all here?!

Gomez: Yes, yes we are.

 

**Actually, even if you didn't see the body, you should still know the cause of death. Everyone should know...**

 

**SOLUTION: Monokuma File #1 - > "we wouldn't actually know the cause of death"**

 

Benjamin: That's incorrect!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: Sherry-Anne, everyone should have known the cause of death from the very beginning of the investigation.

Sherry-Anne: Huh?! What do you mean?!

Benjamin: It should've been in the Monokuma File. See?

**I open the Class Trial App and send a screenshot of the Monokuma File. As Monokuma said, it appeared on the monitor above him as well as our own individual e-Handbooks.**

Benjamin: It says that he was stabbed through the skull. Under his jaw, to be exact.

Rosemary: You would have known this if you actually bothered to do any actual investigating.

Sherry-Anne: Hehe, I guess it was there. Sorry.

Byron: Now that nonsense is out of the way, I want to talk about the weapon itself.

Jane: H-Huh? Wh-Why would th-th-that b-be imp-portant?

Patty: As hard as it is to admit, I'm gonna have to agree with Byron. We need to establish where the killer got it!

Byron: Disregarding the first statement, seeing as it was unnecessary... Patty knows a fantastic idea when she hears one.

**It is a very unorthodox weapon... Maybe we'll know more about the killer if we pinpoint where they went.**

 

 **NONSTOP DEBATE!** **START!**

 

**Evidence: Glass Shard, Killing Game Rules, Mess in American Room**

 

Patty: So why did **the killer kill Rhys with the** **glass shard**...

Patty: There has to be a reason!

Byron: That's not the question I asked...

Byron: I want to know **how they got it**!

Topaz: How?! What do you mean how?!

Topaz:  ** _That don't make any kinda sense_ **!

Rosemary: Actually it's the only thing that makes sense.

Claus: What, are you saying the tueur **_broke something_ **?

Monica: That's a little far fetched to me! Think of something else!

 

**Wait, that person might be onto something!**

 

 **SOLUTION: Mess in American Room - > "** ** _broke something_** **"**

 

Benjamin: Yeah, that's right!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: Yeah, that has to be it Claus!

Claus: Oh, really? I just guessed...

Angela: What do you mean, hun?

Benjamin: Take a look!

**I send my picture of the American Room to the Class Trial App, it shows up immediately.**

Benjamin: There's a huge mess in the American Room! There's a bunch of glass shards everywhere!

Julian: Yeah, but there’s not any indication of where it came from. Could you elaborate for me Benji? I’d really appreciate it!

**Oh god...Ben, don’t get distracted! He asked you a simple question! His smile isn’t...isn’t… Oh nevermind!**

Benjamin: Y-Yeah, of course! No problem at all…

**Where the weapon came from should be very evident, if you take the American Room and the Glass Shard itself into account…**

 

[Fireworks Crate, NYC Ball Drop Replica, Golden Dragon Statue, Stone Bowls]

 

**SOLUTION: NYC Ball Drop Replica**

 

Benjamin: That's it!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: The Glass Shard came from the NYC Ball Drop!

Byron: Of course it did! That much would be obvious if you saw how the weapon looks like a mirror! You should know better than this Julian, or did Brown do all the hard work for you while you laid on your ass all day?

Julian: ...

Julian: The fuck did you say, bitch?

**Welp, bye Byron...**

Rosemary: Enough.

Julian: …

Byron: ...

Ufelia: That’s strange isn’t it?

**Huh?**

Fatima: I do not think so, men fighting like that is a regular occurrence. Something about “asserting dominance”?

Ufelia: Ugh! Not that!

Rosemary: What do you mean Ufelia?

Ufelia: Claus and I were wandering the hallways the entire time, it’s strange how we didn’t hear the killer shatter a large glass ball.

Claus: A valid point, why didn’t we hear the NYC Ball Drop shatter?

**There has to be a plausible reason for that! There’s too much evidence pointing to the killer doing exactly that!**

Patty:  Well, let’s find out why, shall we?

 

**NONSTOP DEBATE! START!**

 

**Evidence: The Twin’s Testimony, Killing Game Rules, Glass Shards**

 

Patty: So all we need to do…

Patty: Is learn why Claus and Ufelia **didn’t hear the glass shatter**.

Claus: It’s très étrange how my sister and I didn’t hear it…

Ufelia: I wonder if the killer had a way…

Ufelia: ...of **catching the glass** before it hit the ground!

Rosemary: No, that can’t be it.

Julian: Maybe it has something to do with **_the room itself_  **?

Sherry-Anne:  No, no, no!

Sherry-Anne: It ** _has to be plexiglass_ **!

Topaz: That would still make noise!

 

**So the killer shattered a huge disco ball, there’s has to be a reason no one heard it…**

 

 **SOLUTION: Killing Game Rules - > “** ** _th_** ** _e room itself_ ** **”**

 

Benjamin: Yeah, that’s right!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: Julian’s right! The Twins didn’t hear the glass shatter because of the room itself!

Julian: Oh, I am?! Damn, thanks Benji! Never thought that would happen...

Topaz: What the-?! How does that explain anything?!

Benjamin: If you look at the Killing Game Rules, you’ll see why. Specifically, Rule #4.

**Rose opens her e-Handbook first and analyzes the rule.**

Rosemary: Ben’s right. Please do as he says.

**Reluctantly, everyone opens their e-Handbooks and reads the rules.**

 

_Hope's Peak Academy Rules_

_Rule #1: Violence against the Headmaster is strictly prohibited along with the flat screen televisions and the surveillance cameras_

_Rule #2: The Headmaster is NOT allowed to directly interfere with their student's lives_

_Rule#3: There is a Daytime and a Nighttime; your day begins at 7 AM and your night begins at 10 PM. To save energy, the lights get considerably dim after Nighttime begins and go back to their original brightness when Daytime begins_

_Rule #4: **All rooms on the first floor are** **sound proof** , but a boy and a girl can't sleep in the same room_

 

...

 

Angela: Oh, so every room is soundproof! That explains why Claus, Ufelia, or anyone didn’t hear anything!

Byron: All the killer would have to do is simply close the door and they could do as they wished. 

Gabriel: That's...impressive...

Jane: D-Don't compliment th-the killer! 

Monica: Yeah! They don't deserve that shit! Knock it off!

Rosemary: It'd be very unwise to downplay the culprit's intelligence. They've already proven how resourceful they can be.

Monica: Tch, yeah, but it doesn't mean I like it.

**Yeah, I don't like it either. But we can't disregard anything the killer does! They managed to kill Rhys right under our noses! No one had a clue....**

Patty: At least we know how the killer got their weapon without anyone knowing! That's progress!

Sherry-Anne: Progress? More like Bull shit!

Rosemary: What do you mean by that?

Topaz: She's sayin' that there're a hell of a lotta questions left! That's what she's sayin'!

Sherry-Anne: Exactly! No progress!

Angela: You know, I would've asked less barbarically, but I have a question about the Bowl of Water in the Office.

**Angela sends a picture of the Bowl of Water to the Class Trial App.**

Sherry-Anne: Wait, "barbaric"?!

Topaz: Oh, hell n-!

Angela: Shhh. Hush now.

Angela: As I was saying, that bowl wasn't there when Jane and I investigated the Office on Day 1. So the killer must have put it there!

Benjamin: That's the only probable answer, really. But why?

Jane: I have n-n-no idea.

Rosemary: ...

Julian: What're you thinking Rose?

Rosemary: I believe we're thinking of this the wrong way.

Gomez: Oh? Can you explain yourself?

Rosemary: Instead of why, I think we need to wonder what.

Fatima: "What"? What are you talking about, "what"? I do not understand!

Benjamin: What she means, I think, is that we're focusing too much on why the killer used the Bowl of Water, when we should figure out what it was in the first place.

Rosemary: You took the words right out of my mouth Ben. Thank you.

Benjamin: N-No problem!

Julian: I think we can do this! We do have the branch to go off of after all!

Claus: Oui, but could that really be a indice? Seems random to me...

Topaz: What the fuck is an "indice"?!

Ufelia: "Clue". It means "clue".

**Okay...ignoring that, the branch may be all we need to know what the Bowl of Water was originally.**

**No... I'm certain of it! The Bowl of Water is...**

 

[Bowl of Oranges, Bowl of Apples, Bowl of Lemons, Bowl of Grapes]

 

**SOLUTION: Bowl of Grapes**

 

Benjamin: That's it!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: It has to be the Bowl of Grapes from the American Room! 

Julian: That explains the branch in the water! It's the stem from a bunch of grapes!

Monica: Yeah, but why the hell did the killer put them in the Office? We need a freaking answer!

Gomez: I'm going to have to agree. What are their purpose in the culprit's nefarious plot?

Rosemary: Now that we know about the Bowl of Grapes, it answers why the killer used them in the first place.

Angela: Hun, if the answers supposed to be obvious, I don't see it...

Jane: M-M-Me either...

Rosemary: You understand, don't you Ben?

**Uh...am I supposed to?**

**If I think about it, I should probably come up with a reasonable theory...**

 

[the Cafeteria Ban, to torture Rhys, the bowl's aesthetically pleasing, they like grapes]

 

**SOLUTION: the Cafeteria Ban**

 

Benjamin: That's it!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: It can't be anything else but the Cafeteria Ban, right? It's the only thing that makes sense here.

Sherry-Anne: What the hell?! What does that mean?!

Julian: Yeah, Benji's right! Anyone that didn't go to the party weren't gonna eat at all tonight. And Rhys just so happens to be apart of those absent.

Rosemary: The culprit used it as a trap. Lure him to one place, have him lower his guard, and ambush him. He couldn't have possibly seen this coming...

Angela: Oh, poor hun...

Monica: Damn it!

Jane: ...

Gabriel: Everyone, please don't be sad. I can tell that Rhys is in a better place now. He doesn't have to suffer this world's hardships anymore. 

**Wait...**

Byron: Can we cut the sentimental frivolousness?!

Gabriel: Huh?!

Ufelia: Oh, thank goodness. I was about to puke.

Topaz: Excuse me, Frenchy?!

Claus: Les personnes, can we not be grossier and raciste here?!

Ufelia: Claus please! You're just as grossier as me! Don't think otherwise!

Benjamin: Guys...

Fatima: Byron, why did you have to say that?

Byron: What? I said the truth. None of this conversation is important.

Monica: How can you say that, fucker?!

Byron: We're not talking about the crime like we need to! Instead, you all decided to dwell on the death of someone you just met three days ago!

Benjamin: Guys...

Patty: Are you serious right now?! 

Sherry-Anne: What a pretentious prick! 

Byron: Call me that again, and I'll-

Benjamin: GUYS!!!!

**Everyone was silent, their eyes wide with shock. Looking at them, I can tell they're paying attention now. Fucking Christ...!**

Rosemary: Thank you Ben. Some of us talk about "frivolous nonsense", but what I just witnessed was the exact definition of frivolous.

Fatima: I apologize...

Monica: Sorry dude...

Byron: ...

Julian: Anyways, Benji, did you want to tell us something?

Benjamin: Yeah, I want to go over some stuff again. Surrounding the crime.

Rosemary: Finally, something makes sense after all this time.

**Okay, maybe we can get somewhere from here...**

**I'm just glad we're back on topic, finally...**

Julian: Let's focus for now on. I know we can do this!

 

**NONSTOP DEBATE! START!**

 

**Evidence: Red Underwear, Rhys' Suit, Monica's Testimony**

 

Julian: There's a whole bunch of stuff...

Julian: That hasn't been explained yet!

Gomez: At least we have _**some answers**_.

Sherry-Anne: **Yeah, it could be worse**!

Fatima: Maybe going over the **_evidence in the Office_**...

Fatima: Can help progress the discussion!

Monica: Fatima, I think a stab wound is pretty significant, don't you?!

Byron: **Everything has already been explained in great detail**!

Byron: Stop being repetitive!

 

**Wait, no that's it! If we look at Rhys' actions... Yeah, that needs to be explained!**

 

**SOLUTION: Rhys' Suit - > "Everything has already been explained in great detail"**

 

Benjamin: That's incorrect!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: No, there's still an obvious piece of evidence that hasn't been explained yet!

Byron: Are you saying I'm wrong Brown? You can understand why I'd doubt that, right?

Julian: Hey!-

Benjamin: It's okay Julian, I've got this.

Julian: Oh, okay...

Benjamin: Anyways, don't you think Rhys looks strange to you?

Angela: Oh, you mean that tacky black suit, right? 

Benjamin: Y-Yes, that "tacky black suit". He wasn't wearing that all day, but he ends up being killed in it? It can't be a coincidence!

Rosemary: No, it can't be a coincidence, can it? But there has to be a reason.

Gabriel: Huh? A reason for what?

Rosemary: Why did he wear the suit in the first place?

Byron: You know, now that you say that, why would he change his clothes?

**Actually, I think I have an answer to that...**

**There's a strong piece of evidence as to why he wore something so flashy...**

 

**SOLUTION: Rhys' Letter**

 

Benjamin: That's it!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: Everyone, take a look at this! Julian, Rose, and I found this on a Computer/Printer Setup in the Office!

**I send a picture of Rhys Letter to everyone and they begin reading it, some people with shocked expressions! But none more than Claus and Ufelia, for excellent reason!**

 

_My darling Rhys,_

 

                     _I apologize for my earlier rudeness. To be quite frank, I believe I must have been lying to myself,_ _t_ _elling myself that I don't have feelings for you. If you'd like, can you meet me in the Office at_ _around 10:30 PM? I'd love to clear the air between us!_

  _With love,_

_Ufelia Benafonte XOXO_

 

Ufelia: ...

Claus: ...

Monokuma: Oh boy! This trial's about to heat up! Exciting! 

Ufelia: Sh-Shut your mouth!

Rosemary: Perfect. It's time we got some answers from you two.

Monica: Wait, Ufelia! What the fuck is that?! 

Sherry-Anne: You met up with Rhys?!

Ufelia: N-No! Of course not! Why would I ever meet with that créature grossière?

Gomez: But there's evidence that you did, is there not? I'd suggest explaining yourself.

Jane: I-I-Immediately!

Claus: Why are you harcèler my sister?! If she said she didn't meet up with him, she didn't!

Rosemary: We'll decide that for ourselves, thank you. Besides, we already have a reason to not only suspect Ufelia, but you too Claus.

Claus: Excusez-moi?!

Ufelia: Y-You shouldn't be nous soupçonner at all! We didn't do anything!

Julian: Then prove it! 

Ufelia: Gladly!

 **Finally they're singing! Now we might get something of worth out of them!** **Bring it on...**

 

**NONSTOP DEBATE! START!**

 

**Evidence: The Twin's Testimony, Paper Shredder, Strange Key**

 

Rosemary: You two have been suspicious since you gave us your testimony.

Rosemary: How do you expect us to **believe something with no foundation**?

Ufelia: Our testimony...?

Ufelia: Our témoignage is fine!

Claus: Besides, your **basis of suspicion is that lettre**! 

Byron: That's true...

Byron: But your sisiter's name on _**that letter enhances your suspicion alone**_.

Ufelia: But I didn't write that letter!

Ufelia: Les chambres du bureau étaient verrouillées, vous vous en souvenez?!

Claus: S-Sorry...

Claus: She said " **The Office rooms were locked remember"?!**

Gomez: So with that, their **innocence has been proven**...

Julian: I doubt that!

 

**No, their innocence hasn't been proven, and I'll show them exactly why!**

 

**SOLUTION: Strange Key - > "'The Office rooms were locked remember'?!"**

 

Benjamin: That's incorrect!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: Yes, the Office was locked, but that doesn't mean it can't be unlocked.

Claus: Why are you speaking in énigmes?! Just spit it out!

Benjamin: That's fine by me! You can unlock the rooms in the Office by using that Strange Key from the Golden Dragon Statue.

Ufelia: The what?!

Julian: We found a black and white key inside a hollow dragon tooth. Rose was able to open everything in the Office, even the room with the Computer and Printer in it!

Rosemary: Speaking of, Monokuma, why did you put that key in the tooth kid?

**Huh? Again? She really likes to ask him questions...**

Monokuma: H-Huh?! M-Me?! I have no idea what you're talking about!

Rosemary: Oh please, you've prepared this game to the most minute detail. I find it hard to believe you'd let a small key slide by you.

Monokuma: ...

Byron: Well Monokuma?

Monokuma: ...

Monokuma: Alright, you bastards! You've got me! I guess I have to tell you!

Angela: Huh? Tell us what, hun?

Monokuma: Well, on each floor of Hope's Peak Academy, I've placed a secret that can aid anyone in committing a murder! On the New Year's Floor, it just so happens that the key is it's secret! And with it, complete access of every room in the Office!

Jane: S-Secrets?

Patty: Complete access?!

Julian: So the key's like a skeleton key for the entire Office!

Benjamin: But, yeah, we're getting off topic again. We need to get back to Ufelia and Claus.

Ufelia: Wh-What?!

Claus: Damn it! I thought you forgot!

Byron: Oh no, I think we're far from done with you two! 

Rosemary: Well, there's one thing that's too suspicious to ignore. I believe I mentioned it before.

**Mentioned it before...? Then it has to be...**

 

[Monica's Testimony, Fatima's Testimony, The Twins' Testimony]

 

**SOLUTION: The Twins' Testimony**

 

Benjamin: That's it!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: Rose, you're talking about their testimony, right?

Rosemary: Yes, exactly. In particular, how vague it was.

Benjamin: They didn't tell us a single useful detail about where they were. So unless they tell us-

 

Claus: COMMENT DÉGOÛTANT POUVEZ-VOUZ ETRE?!

 

[split screen between Claus and Benjamin]

 

Benjamin: Wh-What?!

Claus:We told you exactly where Ufelia and I went!

Claus: Must I répéter myself? How insulting!

 

**BATTLE OF WITS! BEGIN!**

 

**Evidence: Rose's Attendance List, Trail Mix and Cooler, Speaker**

 

Claus: I've told you every piece of information I could tell you!

Claus: After the fête began...

Claus: Ufelia and I met up with each other!

Claus: Then, we traveled here and there until the body discovery annonce!

 

**ADVANCE!**

Benjamin: I know that!

Benjamin: But we need specifics!

 

Claus: Détails, yes?

Claus: Well I can't tell you!

Claus: You honnêtement think I remember something like that?!

Claus: The answer is no, if you didn't know!

Claus: **There's nothing that pinpoints where we went either!**

Claus: Désolé, pas désolé...

 

**There has to be something that I can use against his argument! Something that tells me where he and Ufelia went...**

 

**SOLUTION: Trail Mix and Cooler - > "There's nothing that pinpoints where we went either!"**

 

Benjamin: Think again!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: Actually, I think you stayed in one place Claus!

Claus: Wh-What?!

Ufelia: What do you mean, you hideous creature?!

Benjamin: Aw, thanks for the compliment. Sadly, you made a huge mistake when you went to the Storage Room!

Claus: I-I have no idea what you're talking about...!

Benjamin: Oh really? Then how do you explain the cooler exactly?!

Topaz: Ben, what in tarnation are you talkin' about?!

Benjamin: Don't worry Topaz, you wouldn't know. In fact, none of you would know. Except, of course, myself, Julian, Rose, and Claus and Ufelia!

Julian: Wait...!

Julian: Is that the same cooler they had in the Kitchen?!

Benjamin: Exactly! And remember those empty, plastic cups?

 

_FLASHBACK_

 

_While they're discussing the trail mix, I notice something else nearby and I move to investigate it. There's a cooler right near the trail mix and when I open it, there are a bunch of empty, plastic cups surrounded by, I'm assuming, their discarded lids. I take one of the cups to examine further and notice that they were once filled with a thick, yellow substance. Out of curiosity, I sniff the inside of the cup._

**_"Bananas..." I quietly say to myself._ **

 

_END FLASHBACK_

 

Rosemary: Those must have been their Banana Mint Smoothies they made earlier.

Benjamin: That's exactly what it is. No one else drinks them because they were an original family recipe!

Claus: ...!

Ufelia: ...!

Benjamin: Look, I don't like doing this, but we need you to talk! It's the only way we can survive this Class Trial! So please! Tell us what you know!

Claus: ...

Ufelia: ...

Rosemary: Well, I guess we-

Ufelia: It's my fault.

**Huh?**

Claus: Ufelia, what are you doing?!

Ufelia: If you suspect one of us, let that be me! Claus had nothing to do with it!

Claus: Ufelia no!

Ufelia: Claus, they need to know! For everyone's saké!

Julian: So, you're ready to talk?

Ufelia: Yes, I'll tell you everything I know...

**Finally, the truth...**

Ufelia: Let me begin by saying that neither Claus nor I killed Rhys.

Rosemary: That remains to be seen, but go ahead.

Ufelia: Compréhensible, I guess. However, will you say that after you see this?

**Ufelia takes out a piece of paper, takes a picture of it, and sends it to the Class Trial App. I open my e-Handbook and look at what she sent.**

 

 _Ufelia,_  

                     _I sincerely apologize for my previous indecencies my delicate flower. I wish to apologize in person if you'd be so kind. Can you please meet me in the Office after the party starts? Make sure no one sees you, I promise it'll be the last time you'll ever have to speak to me._

  _Rhys_

 

**Wait a minute...!**

 

[Loaded  **Ufelia's Letter** in the e-Handbook]

 

Benjamin: Ufelia! What the hell is this?!

Ufelia: It's a letter I received after Monokuma sent us to our rooms. It was slipped under my porte. 

Ufelia: When I saw it, I couldn't help but feel terrified. I mean, if you got a étrange letter, how would you feel?!

Angela: What happened next hun?

Ufelia: I immediately went to Claus' Room. We were going to keep each other company during the party anyway, so being early shouldn't be a problem.

**Wait...what did she just say?**

Ufelia: I showed Claus my letter and he agreed that it would be best if we stayed together, for my protection.

Claus: Like you said, we took the Cooler and went to the Storage Room to hide out.

Ufelia: We remembered the Trail Mix and we ate and drank our mère famous Banana Mint Smoothies.

Monica: Wait, "ate"?! As in, you had food and didn't tell anyone?!

Claus: Such technicités...

Claus: But, something étrange happened while we were waiting.

Rosemary: What happened?

Ufelia: We saw Rhys!

**...**

**....**

**.....**

Topaz: WHAAAAAAAAAT?!

Jane: H-H-How could th-that b-be?!

**They saw Rhys go to the Storage Room?! Then...!**

Rosemary: Explain. Now.

Ufelia: I was getting there!

Ufelia: My frère and I were enjoying our Trail Mix and Smoothies when the door to the Storage Room opens suddenly!

Ufelia: Then, Rhys enters the room. Claus thought it'd be a bonne idée to hide from him and see what he does. So that's what we did.

Claus: We were waiting for a while, but when he did leave, he looked...différent.

Julian: Different? What do you mean, "différent"?

Claus: He was wearing the suit he wore when he was killed. I had no idea why he was dressed up until this trial...

Ufelia: He was expecting to see me...

**Ufelia...**

Ufelia: ...

Ufelia: That aside, we waited until Monokuma's New Year Bash began until we left the Storage Room. But...

Ufelia: I wish we didn't leave at all...

**Wait... no! They didn't...! They couldn't have...! There's only one reason Ufelia would wish she didn't go to the Office...**

 

[Ufelia was nauseous, Claus wet himself, the Twins' saw the crime scene, the Twins' went to bed]

 

**SOLUTION: The Twins' saw the crime scene**

 

Benjamin: That's it!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: Ufelia...you and Claus saw the crime scene. Didn't you?

Ufelia: ...!

Claus: ...!

Rosemary: Hm. It seems like you hit the jackpot Ben.

Rosemary: Not only that, but it explains the body discovery announcement.

Julian: Huh? What do you mean Rose?

Rosemary: Ben knows, don't you?

**Let's see...I think I do actually...**

 

**SOLUTION: Killing Game Rules**

 

Benjamin: That's it!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: You're talking about the Killing Game Rules, right Rose?

Rosemary: Yes, I am. I thought it was strange how the body discovery announcement went off after you and I saw Rhys' body.

Benjamin: Huh?

Rosemary: The rules state that the body discovery announcement only goes off when three or more students see a corpse.

Rosemary: If that's the case, then why did it go off when supposedly only two people saw it?

Topaz: What?! This is so much info, dang nabbit!

Julian: Wait, then Ufelia's story explains why!

Julian: Those two saw the body before anyone else did, so that's why it went off after only Benji and Rose did!

Fatima: Wait a minute! Do you mean they were being truthful?!

Angela: How out of character...

Claus: Hey, we can be honest sometimes!

Monica: I'm not letting go of the fact you withheld food from us...

Byron: Are we so sure they're speaking the truth?

Ufelia: Excusez-moi crétin?!

Rosemary: Let Byron explain himself, it may help progress the discussion.

Byron: Thank you for seeing my importance.

Byron: I don't think you two would give up so easily. Especially now when your backs against the wall!

Byron: So no, I'm not done with you two!

**This'll be interesting. I don't think either Claus or Ufelia did this, but I'll see what he says.**

 

**NONSTOP DEBATE! START!**

 

**Evidence: Changing Rooms, Ufelia's Letter, Rhys' Letter, Trail Mix and Cooler**

 

Byron: _**Ufelia or Claus still could've done it.**_ In my opinion.

Gomez: Really? How so?

Byron: One can be the culprit and **one could be an accomplice**.

Byron: They are related by blood, after all. 

Monica: Yeah, I agree!

Monica: **We don't even know if they've been truthful** the whole time!

Ufelia: Yes we have!

Claus: How else could we prove our innocence to you?!

Byron: My point is...

Byron: **_I don't think you can_**!

 

**Actually, I can prove something! I just have to remember what Ufelia said...**

 

**SOLUTION: Changing Rooms - > "We don't even know if they've been truthful"**

 

Benjamin: That's incorrect!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: Actually, I think they did Monica!

Monica: Huh? When?

Benjamin: Everything Claus and Ufelia said has been proven so far, especially when they said Rhys went to the Storage Room!

Byron: What are you saying Brown?

Julian: It's simple. Benji led everyone in the Storage Room to the Changing Rooms during the Investigation and we found definitive proof Rhys went there!

Byron: And what's that, exactly?

Benjamin: His clothes.

Jane: Wh-What?!

Gabriel: Actually, I can back up that story. So can Topaz.

Topaz: Oh, yesirrie I can! Ben's tellin' the truth! And so are Wayne Sleep and Kristy Yamaguchi.

Claus: Are...you referring to us?

Topaz: Who else would I be talkin' about?!

Ufelia: We have names, you know! 

Claus: And Kristy Yamaguchi isn't even a danseuse de ballet! She's an ice skater!

Topaz: So what?!

Rosemary: Enough. I believe the Twins are innocent. There's no reason why they'd tell us all this information if they killed him.

Benjamin: Yeah, exactly. They're in the clear. To me at least.

Ufelia: We-We are? 

Ufelia: Oh, thank you so much!

Claus: It means so much!

**Good, I'm glad the Twins are innocent. I just hope we find the real killer soon...**

Rosemary: I think it's time to look elsewhere for answers, don't you think Ben?

Benjamin: Huh? What do you mean?

Rosemary: Think about the American Room. Remember that purple liquid on the ground?

**Yeah, how could I not?! That mess has literally burned into my memories, sadly...**

Julian: Actually, we never got an answer for that, did we?

Rosemary: Well, if you think about it, you'll reach the same conclusion I did.

Benjamin: Huh? What conclusion?

Angela: Wait hun did you find out what that was?

Rosemary: Yes. But Ben can figure it out. Can't you?

**If she knows the answer, why do I have to answer?**

Rosemary: ...

**Never mind, I'm just gonna do what she says...**

**If I think this through, I know I can figure out what that purple liquid is...!**

 

**HANGMAN'S ANAGRAM!**

 

SLNIELIPRGWNAK

 

 

**SOLUTION: Sparkling Wine**

 

Benjamin: It's coming to me!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: It's the Sparkling Wine, isn't it?!

Rosemary: Yes, that's exactly what it is.

Sherry-Anne: That has to be why one of the bottles went missing! 

Angela: So the killer smashed a wine bottle on the NYC Ball Drop? Sounds way to messy to me hun...

Rosemary: Exactly.

**Huh?**

Julian: What does that mean?

Rosemary: The killer had to have gotten the wine all over them. The Mess in the American Room is evidence of such.

Jane: Wh-What are you s-saying?!

Rosemary: I think it would be incredibly incriminating if the killer had wine all over them. So I believe they had to try and get rid of it.

Rosemary: Doesn't that raise a flag for you Ben?

**Wait...!**

**Is she saying...?!**

Julian: Wait, do you two know who the killer is?!

Benjamin: I'm not sure. However, I do know someone that's suspicious based off of Rose's theory.

**Right, and from what she said, it's time to give a certain someone their just desserts...**

**This has been long overdue...**

 

 **[ CHOOSE SOMEONE** ]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who could that possibly be?! I hope your prepared for the tantalizing drama from here on out! I know I'm not! I wanna hear your thoughts guys! It'll really help me out! Hope you enjoyed!


	10. Chapter One: Be Careful What You Wish For TRIAL II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope's Peak Academy heralds the best of the best students from across the nation to gather at one place to hone and enhance their specific talents, igniting the hope of society to see a better and brighter tomorrow behind the smiles and eyes of those chosen to attend. The America Chapter of the academy has just begun to recruit and Benjamin Brown has been chosen as the Senior Class' Ultimate Lucky Student, randomly drawn from a nationwide lottery. To be chosen to attend a prestigious school, he has to be lucky right? Well he thought, until his world was turned upside down as soon as he entered the school. The school where a single bad decision can get you killed, robbing you of the hope that can quell the hunger of despair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I absolutely DO NOT own anything Danganronpa, the rights and the thanks go to Kazutaka Kodaka and Spike Chunsoft. However, I do own every character except for one, which you will see eventually. I own all of the students basically. I hope you enjoy and I do take feedback, so comment to your hearts content!  
> \--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
> Okay, so Debate Scrums are a thing here, so let me explain what I did.
> 
> So there are two sections, the side your on and the one opposed to your idea.  
> The first section to show up will be the students opposed to your side and they'll go through their argument to prove their point and disprove yours.There's gonna be a single word in a bold font in each of their arguments and that'll relate to someone on your side's counter argument. Your job is to match the counter argument to what it's arguing against. Be warned, there's a possibility that not every counter argument can be used, so be careful! That's it! Have fun and enjoy!

 [BYRON ST.JAMES has been chosen]

 

Benjamin: It has to be you!

 

Benjamin: Rose, you're talking about Byron, right?

Byron: Wh-What did you say?!

Rosemary: That's exactly who I'm talking about.

Julian: I knew it! I knew you did it! How could you?!

Byron: I didn't do anything, you idiot! Stop accusing me based on pure conjecture!

Patty: They wouldn't accuse anyone based off of flimsy evidence, so I'm confident they have a concrete case against you.

Angela: I have to say, it's not very hard to see you as a killer. You're the epitome of Jeffery Dahmer, hun.

Sherry-Anne: Hahahaha! Nice one!

Angela: All tea, all shade hun.

Byron: ...!

Monica: I knew you were a douche bag, but I never thought you'd be a douche bag that kills someone!

Topaz: Gurl, you hated him more than anyone! How can't you see that?! Jane saw that and she can't see shit!

Jane: H-Hey!

Gomez: Topaz, that was an insensitive comment. Even if it was true.

Byron: ...!

Ufelia: Désolé Byron. I'd rather not die, merci.

Claus: It's better this way.

Gabriel: Don't worry Byron! If you confess now, you have a chance of getting into Heaven!

Fatima: I hope not...

Byron: ...!

Byron: Do...Do you all hate me that much?

Byron: You'll find any excuse to pin me as a bad guy, is that it?!

**Whoa, what? That was a drastic change...!**

Rosemary: Our "excuse", as you'll see, will prove your guilt. But if you didn't kill Rhys, then I invite you to prove it.

Byron: ...Prove it?

Byron: That's fine! I'll showcase my innocence all by myself!

Byron: I'll show you how wrong you are!

Byron: Then you'll be on your knees begging for forgiveness!

**What's this...determination in his eyes?! He gets accused of murder and he refuses to  give up!**

Byron: ...!

**I can't give up either! I can't falter to his strength! He has to be the killer, so I need to do this!**

**No matter what!**

 

**NONSTOP DEBATE! START!**

 

**Evidence: Fatima's Testimony, Shower Rooms, Monica's Testimony**

 

Byron: Since you're accusing me of murder...

Byron: I want to know what your case is.

Rosemary: Well, it's quite simple...

Rosemary: The killer _**had to have gotten wine on them**_.

Rosemary: So they'd have to get rid of it somehow.

Rosemary: Or should I say, **wash it off?**

Byron: What do you mean?!

Byron: Are you saying that _**me taking a shower is your evidence?!**_

Byron: A shower isn't uncommon, you know!

 

**Our initial accusation may not be enough after all. We'll need a witness to his crime, and I know one!**

 

**SOLUTION: Fatima's Testimony - > " _me taking a shower is your evidence?!"_**

 

Benjamin: Yeah, that's it!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: It's just as you say Byron, you taking a shower before the murder is pretty convenient. Especially with what Fatima saw!

Byron: What do you mean, "with what Fatima saw"?! 

Fatima: Byron, do not forget, I saw you leave your room with a change of clothes and a towel.

Gomez: And we saw you after the body discover announcement.

**Yeah, I remember all to well...**

**I still feel creepy crawlies on my neck when I think of it...**

 

_FLASHBACK_

 

_I turn around and I see Byron come from the Dorm Area....in just a towel, water dripping down his lean exterior._

_"Byron?! Where are your clothes?!" Sherry-Anne asks the actor, her face disgusted by the hairless rat in front of her._

_"Be quiet, there are more important matters than my clothes, or lack there of."_

_Byron moves towards the entrance of the Office, his arms folded across his chest as he strides._

 

_END FLASHBACK_

 

Byron: So what?! Just because I took one doesn't mean I killed Rhys!

Benjamin: True, but the fact that you took one within the time span of Rhys' murder is suspicious.

Byron: Are you fucking serious?! How dumb are you Brown?!

Fatima: Hey! Do not call him dumb! He is way smarter than you!

Byron: Why on Earth would I take a shower before Rhys was killed?! That makes no sense!

Byron: Therefore, your case is invalid!

Julian: Actually, just because you had that stuff with you, doesn't mean you immediately took a shower.

Byron: ...What?

Rosemary: Fatima, when did you see Byron with his shower supplies?

Fatima: It was when we all were going to the Gymnasium for the party.

Rosemary: Hmmm, interesting...

Byron: What do you want now?!

Rosemary: There's a way for you to take a shower and kill Rhys all within the hour before we found him.

Byron: What are you talking about?! I didn't kill him!

Rosemary: Ben, you can see what I mean, right?

**I know exactly what she's talking about. Byron could've taken a shower...**

 

[before the murder, during the murder, after the murder]

 

**SOLUTION: after the murder**

 

Benjamin: That's it!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: Byron could have killed Rhys before he took his shower! That way, he could clean off any evidence of the wine or potential blood!

Rosemary: My thoughts exactly. Byron, do you see how you could've committed this crime?

Byron: Do I see...?

Byron: Of course I don't see what you mean?! What solid evidence do you have to uphold your accusation against me?!

Julian: Oh, I have this one.

Byron: ...!

Julian: Everyone, do you remember our first day here? Do you remember what Byron said that day about the Killing Game?

**Yeah...**

 

_FLASBACK_

 

_"So all we have to do is make sure we cover our tracks after we kill someone, correct?" Byron asks Monokuma, his face full of smugness and ill intent._

_"Hey, you can't honestly be considering this can you?!" Julian asks him, flabbergasted by the other's willingness to sacrifice one of us for his own benefit._

_"Of course I am, do you really think I want to be stuck in the same vicinity as putrid filth? Besides, I already know who I'm targeting anyways." Byron responds, turning his head towards me with hatred in his eyes._

 

_END FLASHBACK_

 

**He threatened to kill me...**

**I was so scared that acted so rashly! I was even scared of myself in that moment, imagine Byron's fear!**

Julian: He said he would kill to escape this place, even saying that he would kill Benji! In front of all of us!

Topaz: Yeah, that's right! Then Ben gave that dirt sack a mean right hook!

Benjamin: Guys, just because it happened doesn't mean it was the right thing to do...

Patty: The point is, Byron, you have a violent history. You can't be surprised by our doubt of your innocence.

Byron: ...!

Byron: I...!

**Are we finally getting a confession? He definitely doesn't look good right now...**

Byron: I...!

Byron: I...!

**He's sweating profusely right now! Hopefully this is it. I'd rather not-**

Byron: I don't know what to tell you!

Byron: All I can say is that I didn't do it!

Byron: I can't find any loophole, any chance that I can get out of your suspicions! Nothing!

**B-Byron?!**

Byron: I really didn't do any of this! 

Byron: I know I can be...obtuse at times...but it doesn't mean I can actually commit murder!

Sherry-Anne: Of course it can! 

Byron: ...!

Byron: You all can hate me all you want, but don't make a wrong decision based off of a shower and past conceptions of my character!

Byron: Please!

**Is he...crying? Why is he crying?!**

**He looks so...pathetic...**

Jane: Wh-Wh-What's happening?!

Angela: It's nothing hun. Byron just doesn't know how to give up, that's all.

Gomez: His persistence is admirable, I'll admit. A performance worthy of the Ultimate Thespian.

Byron: ...

**...**

**...I don't think it's a performance!**

**I think he's being genuine! For the first time, Byron's showing vulnerability!**

Byron: ...!

**...I don't think he did it! Looking at him now, how distraught he is, I have a feeling he didn't do this. Besides, even if I hate him with all my heart, I have to trust my gut! It's never failed me before and it won't now!**

Byron: ...!

**I can't believe I'm doing this, but I have to defend Byron! Never thought I'd say that...**

**Now think! What could save him?!**

**...**

**...**

**...!**

Benjamin: Guys, I think we should check something. Just in case.

Rosemary: Hmm? What do you mean?

Benjamin: Our case against Byron is that he got wine on himself, so he had to wash it off, right?

Julian: Why? What's up Benji?

Benjamin: I just need to ask someone something.

**This is it, this whole case could turn on it's head if this person answers the way I think they will...**

**Someone who'll know the state Byron was in before he went to the Shower Rooms...**

**It could only be them...!**

 

[FATIMA MAHASETH has been chosen]

 

Benjamin: It has to be you!

 

Benjamin: Fatima, I need to ask you some questions. To elaborate your testimony.

Fatima: Of course, anything to help.

Benjamin: What did Byron look like when he left his dorm?

Fatima: Well, he had his towel and his clothes neatly folded in his arm and that is it. There was nothing unusual about him.

Benjamin: Are you sure? Nothing out of the ordinary?

Fatima: Nothing out of the ordinary. He looked like he does any other particular day.

**Wait! That's it!**

Benjamin: Are you absolutely sure Fatima?!

Fatima: Yes! I swear to Allah that I remember it vividly! My memory is very sufficient.

Benjamin: Then, that's a problem.

Rosemary: And what do you mean by that?

Benjamin: Because our entire foundation is based on Byron getting wine on him. If that's the case then...

 

[his clothes would've been stained, his breath would reek, he's allergic to alcohol, he couldn't see where he was going]

 

**SOLUTION: his clothes would've been stained**

 

Benjamin: That's it!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: Byron should have stains all over the clothes he was wearing! Even if they were washed, they wouldn't be able to wash the purple wine out of his powder blue shirts!

Claus: That...actually makes sens...!

Sherry-Anne: What are you trying to do Ben?! Why are you helping the killer?!

Benjamin: We need to be absolutely sure Sherry-Anne! We can't pick the wrong person!

Sherry-Anne: Well, don't blame me for not fully putting my trust in Fatima's memory! We need more evidence!

Fatima: I swore on Allah! I would not do that if I wasn't completely sure!

Benjamin: Don't worry Fatima, I have the evidence.

Byron: ...!

Benjamin: There's evidence of Byron's innocence, and I'll show you exactly what that is!

**I saw it during the Investigation, how I can further support Fatima's observations...**

 

**SOLUTION: Shower Rooms**

 

Benjamin: That's it!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: Julian and I found two bundles of clothes in the Shower Room. Isn't that right, Julian?

Julian: Yeah, they were on the benches near a running shower.

Benjamin: And didn't they look like Byron's powder blue dress shirts?

Julian: They did, actually...

Benjamin: And I'm not sure about you Julian, but I didn't see a single stain on his clothes! Which would've been there if he smashed that Sparkling Wine Bottle on the NYC Ball Drop!

Julian: No, I didn't...!

Julian: Wait, Benji! Are you saying that Byron might not be the killer?!

Byron: Really?!

Benjamin: That's exactly what I'm saying.

Patty: Well...

**Oh, what now?**

Benjamin: Yes Patty?

Patty: He could have change of clothes hidden in the towel before he left his room. There's no definite possibility he's not the culprit.

Byron: And where would I put them afterwords, huh?!

Jane: W-Wait, i-i-isn't th-the Shower R-R-Rooms n-next to th-the Tr-Trash R-Room?

Angela: Oh, yes it is. Isn't it?

Monica: So, Byron could've dumped his clothes before he had his shower after he killed Rhys!

Julian: Wait...

Monica: What? Do you have evidence that he didn't?

Julian: No, not that. There's something weird though...

Topaz: Well go on then! Spill the beans!

Julian: Oh no...!

**Julian takes out his e-Handbook frantically and looks over something with eyes of determination! What the hell is he doing?! His eyes widen with shock, realization radiating off of his body!**

Julian: We over looked something...!

Benjamin: Huh? What?

Julian: Look at the time on the Monokuma File!

**I open my Monokuma File and begin reading as Julian asked...**

 

_Monokuma File #1:_

_The victim is Rhys Morimoto. The body was found in the Office at **approximately 12 AM.**_

_The cause of death was a stab wound through the skull._

_There's evidence of bruising all around the victim's knees, but only the bruises on the back of the knees are in a straight line_

 

 

Topaz: And?! Whata 'bout it?!

Julian: Look at the letter Rhys got! What time did it say to meet Ufelia?

**I open the picture of Rhys' Letter and begin reading it...**

 

_My darling Rhys,_

 

                     _I apologize for my earlier rudeness. To be quite frank, I believe I must have been lying to myself,_ _t_ _elling myself that I don't have feelings for you. If you'd like, can you meet me in the Office at_ _ **around 10:30 PM?** I'd love to clear the air between us!_

  _With love,_

_Ufelia Benafonte XOXO_

 

Benjamin: Wait, 10:30?!

Patty: While we were in our rooms?!

Sherry-Anne: But that doesn't make sense! How's that possible?!

Rosemary: This changes the entire premise of the crime. I can't believe we looked over something so important...

**Me either! We completely over looked...**

 

[how Rhys got there, how the killer got there, the time of death, the time of discovery]

 

 **SOLUTION: the**   **time** **of death**

 

Benjamin: That's it!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin:  We completely over looked the actual time of death! He died way before we went to the New Year's Bash!

Jane: B-B-But weren't we n-not supp-pposed to leave our r-r-rooms until th-the part-ty started?

Ufelia: If so, then how did Claus and I leave ours sain et sauf?

Angela: Excuse me, I didn't hear that right. I didn't just hear you say you left while we were in our rooms, right?

Gabriel: You two left your rooms between 10 PM and 11 PM?!

Claus: Oui, we told you before, didn't we?

 

_FLASHBACK_

 

 

_Ufelia: It's a letter I received after Monokuma sent us to our rooms. It was slipped under my porte._

_Ufelia: When I saw it, I couldn't help but feel terrified. I mean, if you got a étrange letter, how would you feel?!_

_Angela: What happened next hun?_

_Ufelia: I immediately went to Claus' Room. We were going to keep each other company during the party anyway, so being early shouldn't be a problem._

_..._

_Ufelia: I showed Claus my letter and he agreed that it would be best if we stayed together, for my protection._

_Claus: Like you said, we took the Cooler and went to the Storage Room to hide out._

 

_END FLASHBACK_

 

Benjamin: Oh yeah! I thought that was weird! I completely forgot about it! 

Topaz: That's not fair! They should be punished! If the rest of us were stuck in our rooms, why were they allowed to leave?!

Ufelia: Are you being sérieux right now?!

Claus: Why are you trying to get us in difficulté?!

Sherry-Anne: What's fair is fair!

Monokuma: Shut the fuck up!

**I freeze in place, petrified by the vulgar authority Monokuma exerted just now. It's hard to forget he's here with such a loud mouth...**

Monokuma: I didn't actually say that you had to stay in your rooms! So anyone could leave when they wanted to!

Monokuma: You just made assumptions!

Topaz: What?!

Gomez: So, our confusion of Rhys' time of death led us to over look that as well.

Gomez: How unfortunate...

Julian: Yeah, it even says in the file that the body was "found"! Not that he died at that time!

Benjamin: Well, at least we know now. We can finally-

Angela: As unfortunate as it is, it doesn't change anything for Byron, hun. He's still the prime suspect.

Monica: All we have to do is change the time and that's it! We're on his ass like flies on dog shit!

Fatima: How vulgar! I would expect such crass behavior from Topaz or Sherry-Anne, but not you Monica!

Topaz: Shut the fuck up! If you can't take the heat, stay outta my way!

Sherry-Anne: Yeah, what she said!

Patty: Ignoring that, there's still plenty of evidence against Byron! We can build a new case against him!

Gabriel: Right now we're making theories with no weight to them! We need to be absolutely sure!

Ufelia: But we can't be absolument certain he did or didn't either way! There has to be a way...

Gomez: I'm sure if we debate this more thoroughly, we'll-

 

**Monokuma: STOP RIGHT THERE!**

 

Monokuma: "Debate"?! You said "debate", right?!

Gomez: Yes, I did. Why?

Monokuma: Oh, I've been waiting to try this out! I'm so excited!!!

Rosemary: Excited for what?

Monokuma: Our Morphenomenal Trial Grounds!

Jane: M-Morphenomenal?!

Monica: The trial's gonna morph?! What the fuck?!

Benjamin: Morph how exactly?

Monokuma: Oh you'll see...

**Great, more secrets...**

Gabriel: Oooooh, I'm already feeling seasick...!

Sherry-Anne: I swear to God, if you puke on me, you're lights will get knocked out!

Gabriel: D-Don't use God's name in vain!

Sherry-Anne: Who said it was in vain?

Gabriel: ...!

**Hmmm, I wonder what this is gonna be...**

**Whatever, I'm gonna be prepared no matter what!**

**The stakes are too high!**

 

_**[Monokuma takes out his diamond crested scepter and jabs it into a gear-like mechanism beside him and cranks it to it's maximum, a face filled with sheer, sadistic delight! Immediately, the students feel the ground shake as their podiums begin to rise! In a formation like a spiral staircase, they rise into the heavens until...]** _

_**[They are placed on opposing sides based on their argument; Angela, Gomez, Monica, Patty, Sherry-Anne, Topaz, and Jane are arguing that** _ **Byron is the Culprit** _**while Benjamin, Rosemary, Julian, Byron, Fatima, Claus, Ufelia, and Gabriel are arguing that** _ **Byron isn't the Culprit** _**]** _

 

 

**DEBATE SCRUM! START!**

 

 **Byron is the Culprit!**

Angela: Hun, Byron is very capable of committing this **murder**!

Gomez: He did say he would **kill** to get out of here on the First Day, didn't he?

Monica: Byron smashed the bottle and got **wine** all over him!

Patty: Byron hid his **stained** clothes in his towel in case people saw him!

Sherry-Anne: Fatima may not have seen his **clothes** correctly!

Topaz: Byron musta dumped his stained clothes in the **Trash Room** before takin' that shower!

Jane: Byron c-c-could have **co-committed** this m-murder!

 

**Byron isn't the Culprit**

Benjamin: Someone else committed this murder!

Rosemary: But Ben and Julian also saw his clothes in the Shower Room, remember?

Julian: But there's no real evidence he did commit murder!

Byron: Just because I said I would kill someone, it doesn't mean I did it!

Fatima: But I saw him! He had no wine stains!

Claus: His towel would also be stained and it wasn't!

Ufelia: I refuse to believe he's smart enough to do this!

Gabriel: We can check the Trash Room and see if he did!

 

**SOLUTION:**

 

**Julian - > Angela **

**Byron - > Gomez **

**Fatima - > Monica **

**Claus - > Patty **

**Rosemary - > Sherry-Anne **

**Gabriel - > Topaz **

**Benjamin - > Jane **

 

Everyone: This is our answer!

 

**FULL COUNTER!**

 

Benjamin: Everyone, our entire case against Byron has been theories founded by our preconceived views of him!

Benjamin: If we continue this, we're gonna get punished while the real killer escapes!

Benjamin: We need to work together, and that means being all on the same page!

Benjamin: There's a lot more to go over that hasn't been explained yet!

Benjamin: If we go over that, then I know we can find the real culprit!

Benjamin: Trust me! We can do this!

**Everyone stares at me, still hung on my words and waiting for what I'm gonna say next. But, I'm just uncomfortable by the stares...**

**I's just like that first day, when I...you know, punched Byron...**

**Everyone looking, the weight of the world on my shoulders!**

**It's suffocating...**

Benjamin: Wh-What? Why are you staring...?

Julian: You amaze me everyday, you know that?

Benjamin: J-Julian...!

Patty: You have proven yourself an incredible leader not only at the Class Trial, but in our little group as well. So I'll trust you Ben. 

Patty: For now...

**Wow, thanks Patty...I guess...**

Angela: Hun, you have been my friend from the very beginning here. How could I not give you a chance?

Jane: Y-Y-Yeah!

Byron: ...

Byron: ...Thank you Brown.

Benjamin: You guys...

**I didn't know I meant so much to them! A small guy like me, who's never had friends! You'd never know that look at me now! I have 15 awesome friends supporting me here, and once we get out of here, we'll be together for life! This horrible situation tying us together!**

**...**

**...**

**Oh yeah, I forgot...**

**It's only 14 now...**

Rosemary: Well, now that we're working together, we need to get back to the case.

**Aaaaaaand we're back to the case. Great...**

Patty: Wow, how straightforward...

Fatima: What do you suggest we do Rose?

Rosemary: I want to know more about the fire.

Ufelia: The feu? 

Rosemary: The thing that led us to the Office. To Rhys' body. The killer had to have used it in their plot. But how...?

Gomez: You know, that is a good question...

Topaz: Then, let's find out about what caused that fire alarm to go off!

**It is important to talk about....**

**What could it be...?**

**It could help weed out the killer.**

Sherry-Anne: The let's get to it already!

 

**NONSTOP DEBATE! START!**

 

**Evidence: Burnt Clump, Fire Alarm System, Fireworks Manual**

 

Rosemary: We need to establish what triggered that fire alarm...

Rosemary: It's the only way we can progress the trial any further.

Monica: Where did the fire happen exactly?

Monica: **There wasn't any evidence of where it happened**!

Julian: I'm sure there was something...

Claus: I wonder if _**the Fire Alarm System was faulty**_? 

Ufelia: _**Everything else is**_ , so I wouldn't be surprised...

Angela: Shade, but yes.

 

**The fire...There has to be something telling us more about it!**

 

**SOLUTION: Burnt Clump - > "There wasn't any evidence if where it happened!"**

 

Benjamin: That's incorrect!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: The Burnt Clump shows that the fire had to have started in the Office!

Monica: Burnt Clump...?

Benjamin: See?

**I send the picture of the burnt, papery substance I found in the Office.**

Benjamin: That has to be what started the fire.

Julian: That's the only piece of evidence we found that could start a fire.

Sherry-Anne: Yeah, but what is it?! We have no clue what it could possibly be!

Rosemary: That's the question, isn't it?

Rosemary: But, none-the-less, we should have an idea of what it could be.

Benjamin: Huh? We do?

Rosemary: Remember Ben? We found something that gives us a huge clue.

Benjamin: ...

Benjamin: Oh! Yeah, that's right! It was missing for a bit, but we found it! It has to be...

 

**SOLUTION: Fireworks Manual**

 

Benjamin: That's it!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: We found the Fireworks Manual in the Computer Room! The killer had to have used it as a reference for their crime!

Byron: You found it?! 

Rosemary: Yeah, we did. It's as Ben said, it was in the room that should have been locked. So the only person who could've taken it was the culprit of this case.

Sherry-Anne: So, the killer used a firework?! That's insane!

Benjamin: No.

Sherry-Anne: No?!

Angela: Hun, you just said that the Fireworks Manual was in the Computer Room and that the killer used it. Why are you contradicting yourself?

Benjamin: I'm not, I swear! The killer did use the Fireworks Manual, but they didn't technically choose a firework to start the fire!

Jane: Wh-What was it?

**Once I tell them, they're not gonna believe it, but it's the only thing the killer could have used considering the circumstances...**

 

**HANGMAN'S ANAGRAM!**

 

NEPTARLRENAPS

 

**SOLUTION: Paper Lanterns**

 

Benjamin: It's coming to me!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: The killer used the Paper Lanterns from the Chinese Fireworks Crate!

Gabriel: Wh-What?!

Monica: You can't be serious! Paper Lanterns caused the fire!

Rosemary: I'm going to send a screenshot of all the proof you need. It'll clear up a lot of questions for us.

**As promised, Rose sent the picture of the page from the Fireworks Manual. Also as promised, it's all we need to know it was indeed the Paper Lanterns.**

 

 

_Chapter 8: How to use our Paper Lanterns_

_When using our state-of-the-art paper lanterns, recognize that you will not have to relight or light new ones_

_if you are hosting a party or any event! Why you ask? Because our lanterns stay lit for a maximum of 90 minutes!_

_However, if they are to remain lit after the 90 minute limit, the lanterns will combust and  cause severe amounts of smoke!_

_Recommendations: Evacuate immediately! Unless, of course, you want to pull a Sylvia Plath and kill yourself!_

_That's okay too!_

 

 

Rosemary: As you see, the Paper Lanterns are the only thing the killer could have used that solves two problems.

Rosemary: It solves our question of when the fire started and how the Fire Alarm was set off.

Rosemary: The Paper Lanterns give off a sever amount of smoke that would get picked up immediately by the sprinklers, right Monokuma?

Monokuma: The sprinklers do get set off immediately by a lot of smoke!

Rosemary: So it's official. The Paper Lanterns were the cause of the fire and the cause of the Fire Alarm getting set off. Any questions?

Patty: No, you explained everything...

Patty: As usual...

Gomez: If that's the case, then I have a new suspect for us to look into.

Benjamin: You do?

Gomez: Quite. You see, it would have to be people that had time to set it up and have no clear alibi for the party.

Gomez: Or should I say, the beginning of it.

**Oh, he's not saying what I think he is, right?**

Gomez: So, it has to be either Monica or Gabriel.

Monica: What the fuck did you just say?!

Gabriel: Wh-Why me?!

  **Oh boy, let's see where this goes...**

**NONSTOP DEBATE! START!**

 

**Evidence: Monica's Testimony, Rose's Attendance List, Fireworks Manual**

 

Gomez: You both were late to the party...

Gomez: And **_the killer needed an alibi_**...

Gomez: The solution is **one of you two**.

Gabriel: That's ridiculous!

Gabriel: _**Neither one of us could do this**_!

Gabriel: We were together the whole time!

Gomez: And who can confirm that besides you two?

Monica: **No one** but...

Monica: It doesn't mean we're lying!

Gomez: Until you have another witness...

Gomez: I can't believe it. _**My sincerest apologies**_...

 

**No, we can't discredit anything unless we can prove otherwise! Every testimony matters...**

 

**SOLUTION: Monica's Testimony - > "Neither one of us could do this"**

 

Benjamin: Yeah, that's it!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: Gabe's right! He was with Monica the entire time!

Gabriel: Yeah! How could we commit murder if we were in each other's company?!

Monica: Fuck you Gomez!

Gomez: Don't be angered by my accusations. I'm only trying to find the truth.

Monica: Find the truth somewhere else, you fuck!

Gomez: Actually, you two still could've done it, in my opinion.

Topaz: Are you serious?!

Gomez: Yes. Very.

**Why is Gomez so persistent on this accusation?!**

**This is fucking ridiculous!**

Julian: Okay, I'll bite. How exactly?

Gomez: They could've been accomplices.

Patty: Accomplices? Is that even allowed?

Rosemary: In the fairness of the game Monokuma, I suggest you answer this. We need to know if it's acceptable or not.

Monokuma: I'll do one better Rosemary!

Rosemary: Rose.

Monokuma: Rosemary! I'll update the rules for ya!

**A bell sound reverberates throughout the Trial Grounds and we all turn on our e-Handbooks and read the newly added rule...**

 

_Rule#11: If there's a team that helps in a murder, then only the one who did the killing blow will be able to graduate. The accomplice(s) get nothing._

_Rule#12: Rules will be added if need be_

 

Rosemary: So, it's not allowed. 

Benjamin: Which means that if they were working together, the accomplice should sell out their partner so they can live.

Benjamin: As cruel as it is...

Gabriel: But we didn't do anything! 

Monica: We didn't work together to kill Rhys! 

Julian: Let's move on then! The accomplice would've sold out the killer already!

Gomez: My apologies you two. I thought it was a good path to go down at the time.

Gabriel: It's fine. We understand! Right Monica? 

Monica: Fuck you...

Gabriel: Monica, be nice! Forgive him!

Monica: ...!

Monica: Fine...

Julian: Back on topic, the book said that the Paper Lanterns last for 90 minutes, right?

Benjamin: Yeah, so that's why the killer asked Rhys to meet with them at 10:30.

Ufelia: I just have one concern when it comes to the meurtrier obtaining the lanterns.

Ufelia: How could they be so sure no one would see them?

Claus: It is a very risky task.

Claus: If Ufelia or I left the Storage Room, we could have saw them leaving the American Room.

Claus: Very dangereux if you ask me...

Rosemary: Not if they had a way of maneuvering both rooms without anyone seeing.

Topaz: How the hell's that?!

**I know this first hand...**

**It scared me half to death...**

 

 **SOLUTION: Hidden Grate**  

 

Benjamin: That's it!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: Rose, Julian, Byron and I found a Hidden Grate behind the Fireworks Crate. That's how they did it.

Monica: So if they closed both doors, they'd be able to move between both rooms without being seen!

Monica: That's fucked...!

Benjamin: Monica...

Fatima: Monica, we can never truly know why someone does what they do.

Fatima: All we can do is be the best us we can, no matter what!

Julian: That's all we can do here...

Rosemary: ...

Rosemary: So, now we've established a way for the killer to move between the two rooms.

Rosemary: And yet, there have been no clues to our true culprit. That concerns me.

Patty: Wow, that's positive of you!

Rosemary: I'm just saying that we need to focus on narrowing our list of suspects down. That's all.

Benjamin: Yeah, you're right...

**She's right though. We need to find something about our killer before we're stuck in a stalemate!**

**We need to solve this or else we'll get punished!**

Angela: Well hun, I'm not sure if it'll help, but I have a question.

Benjamin: Huh? What is it Angela?

Angela: Well, it might not be anything, but why did the killer trigger the Fire Alarm?

**...**

**...**

**...**

**Holy fuck...**

Jane: W-We don't have an answer t-t-to that, d-do we?!

Julian: Angela, you might just crack this case right open!

Angela: Oh, really? I just thought it was a random question...

Ufelia: Angela, you're plus intelligent than I thought you were. Thank you for changing my mind, really.

Angela: I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment or an insult...

Claus: A compisult if you will.

Angela: ...!

Rosemary: ...

Rosemary: Moving on...

Rosemary: As Angela suggested, we need to establish why the culprit used the Paper Lanterns to set off the Fire Alarm.

Byron: Well, not only that, but why did they choose that time to meet with Rhys? It would go off during Monokuma's New Year's Bash.

**So, why the killer chose to set it off during the party? We'll get a clearer picture of who it might be if we solve this...**

 

**HANGMAN'S ANAGRAM!**

 

LAIBI

 

**SOLUTION: Alibi**

 

Benjamin: It's coming to me!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: Oh my God! 

Julian: What?! Did you solve it?! What is it Benji?!

Benjamin: The killer wanted to establish an alibi!

Topaz: An alibi?!

Benjamin: Think about it!

Benjamin: Literally everyone that didn't go to the party or was late have been proven innocent! That only leaves the killer being one of the people that attended Monokuma's New Year's Bash!

Rosemary: Of course. How could I not see that?

**Rose takes out her e-handbook and sends a picture through the Class Trial App.**

Gomez: Oh, I was wondering when this'll come into play.

Rosemary: This is my Attendance List I took for Monokuma's New Year's Bash. We can narrow it down from there.

**I examine Rose's Attendance List to get a better handle of things...**

 

_ ATTENDANCE LIST _

 

  _Benjamin- **P**_

_Ufelia- **A**_

_Claus- **A**_

_Patty- **P**_

_Gomez- **P**_

_Fatima- **P**_

_Julian- **P**_

_Monica- **T    11:30**_

_Gabriel- **T   11:30**_

_Sherry-Anne- **P**_

_Angela- **P**_

_Jane- **P**_

_Byron- **A**_

_Topaz- **P**_

_Rhys- **A**_

_Rose- **P**_

_P= Present_

_A= Absent_

_T= Tardy_

 

 

Byron: So the only people that could have done this are Brown, Julian, Rose, Patty, Gomez, Fatima, Sherry-Anne, Angela, Jane, and Topaz.

Rosemary: Exactly. And it leaves you, Ufelia, Claus, Monica, and Gabriel all innocent.

Rosemary: I wonder if we have a clue here...

Gabriel: That's a lot of potential suspects...

Claus: Wasn't our big piece of preuve against Byron that he took a shower? Was there anyone wet? That could be a start.

Rosemary: Wait...

Julian: What? What is it?

Rosemary: After Byron was proven innocent, we went through the trial up to this point not knowing how the culprit cleaned themselves.

Fatima: Yes, but there has to be a way they did it! We just have to look harder!

Rosemary: And what if they didn't?

**Huh?**

Topaz: Rose, that's just fuckin' stupid! How unsanitary do you think they are?!

Patty: I have to say, I'd hope our killer would at least have some dignity left...

Rosemary: But no one was wet. Not even damp at the party, which tells me no one took a shower.

Rosemary: Which means our culprit didn't either.

Sherry-Anne: Th-That's crazy!

Sherry-Anne: Didn't we say that their clothes would be stained?!

Sherry-Anne: No one had stains! How do you explain that?!

Rosemary: Well, I didn't say our culprit could only be found by the stains.

Benjamin: What? How?

Rosemary: I'm thinking about a different sense other than sight. The answer will become clear once you know what I'm talking about.

**Again with the riddles! Will I ever get a straight answer from Rose?!**

**Anyways, "senses"? So if we can't see the wine, there must be another way to know...**

**...**

**Wait...!**

**No....**

**No fucking way!**

**...**

Rosemary: Ben. You know, don't you? You know who our culprit is.

Julian: What?! Benji is that true?!

Benjamin: ...!

Angela: Well, hurry on hun, who is it?!

Fatima: Please! We need to know!

Benjamin: ...!

**C-Could it really be them?! It can't be! It doesn't make sense, yet makes so much sense at the same time!**

**I...**

**I don't know!**

**Maybe I'm wrong! I have to be! They can't be the killer!**

Julian: Benji.

Benjamin: Huh? 

Julian: I know you care about everyone here, but you also cared about Rhys. He was your friend!

Julian: He deserves to know who killed him and you know the answer.

Benjamin: H-How can I be sure?

Julian: You don't.

Benjamin: ...!

Julian: You don't know until everything makes sense. Until every piece falls into place! 

Julian: I believe in you. We all believe in you!

Julian: Let's do this Benji!

Benjamin: Julian...!

**He's so good to me...**

**I don't know what I'd do if he wasn't here. I really don't!**

**But, I'm not sure how he's gonna feel about our potential culprit. But he gave me the confidence to try! To listen to my gut!**

**The one that smashed the wine bottle against the NYC Ball Drop, the one that used the Paper Lanterns to establish an alibi, the only one that had any trace of wine on them at the party...**

**I can't believe it, but it has to be you!**

**You're our culprit!**

 

**[CHOOSE SOMEONE]**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here we are! The killer is revealed in the next part of the trial! Who could it be?! I hope you're enjoying this roller coaster of emotions! I know I am! Leave your comments below as usual! Thank you!


	11. Chapter One: Be Careful What You Wish For TRIAL III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope's Peak Academy heralds the best of the best students from across the nation to gather at one place to hone and enhance their specific talents, igniting the hope of society to see a better and brighter tomorrow behind the smiles and eyes of those chosen to attend. The America Chapter of the academy has just begun to recruit and Benjamin Brown has been chosen as the Senior Class' Ultimate Lucky Student, randomly drawn from a nationwide lottery. To be chosen to attend a prestigious school, he has to be lucky right? Well he thought, until his world was turned upside down as soon as he entered the school. The school where a single bad decision can get you killed, robbing you of the hope that can quell the hunger of despair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I absolutely DO NOT own anything Danganronpa, the rights and the thanks go to Kazutaka Kodaka and Spike Chunsoft. However, I do own every character except for one, which you will see eventually. I own all of the students basically. I hope you enjoy and I do take feedback, so comment to your hearts content!
> 
> Also, this chapter have very explicit language, you've been warned.

[JANE HILTON has been chosen]

 

Benjamin: It has to be you!

 

**I...can't believe it...**

**But, it's true! It has to be her! I can't believe Jane would do this! Why...?**

Julian: So Benji, who is it? Who killed Rhys?

Benjamin: Um....

Julian: Huh? What's the matter?

Benjamin: Uh...I'm not sure you'll believe me...

Angela: Hun, just tell us! How bad can it be?

Benjamin: ...

Benjamin: It's Jane. Jane killed Rhys.

Angela: ...

Julian: ...

Jane: ...!

Topaz: Haha! Very funny Ben! Now tell us, who really killed Rhys?

Benjamin: Jane did.

Topaz: ...!

Angela: ...

Jane: Huh?! M-Me?!

Topaz: Okay, the joke was funny the first time, not the second! Stop wasting our time and tell us who fuckin' killed him!

Benjamin: I've told you who killed Rhys not once, but twice now! How am I wasting your time?!

Angela: Because it's completely ridiculous! Jane wouldn't hurt a fly, never mind a human being!

Angela: So, cut the shit and tell us without this insensitive prank!

Rosemary: He's not joking. And it's not a prank.

Rosemary: Jane isn't just Ben's prime suspect, but mine as well.

Jane: W-What?! Wh-Wh-Why?!

Benjamin: Because of what I noticed at Monokuma's New Years' Bash!

 

_FLASHBACK_

 

_That's when it hits me: a fruity aroma in the air. What the hell? Where the hell is that coming from? There's not even fruit on the table! I begin to sniff around and my nose points me to Jane. Hmmmm she smells amazing!_

_"Jane, why do you smell so fruity? It smells so good!" I ask the blind girl and she turns red immediately!_

_"Ahh! Th-Thank you! It's my perfume!" she answers with a small smile._

_"Anytime!" Jane needs all the compliments she can get. She deserves a confidence boost._

_We all pour our drinks, which further amplifies the fruitiness surrounding us! Oh my God, turn it off!!! There's fruity and then there's fruity, and I'd rather not suffocate thank you!_

 

_END FLASHBACK_

 

Benjamin: Jane, you smelled exactly like the Sparkling Wine being served at the party! How do you explain that?

Jane: I-It's just a c-c-coincidence! Perf-fume can smell l-like fruit!

Angela: Yeah, that's right! I have a snow plum perfume back home! That doesn't prove anything!

Rosemary: And did she bring this "fruity perfume"? If so, I want to see it.

Jane: I-It ran out! I th-threw it away...!

Rosemary: Then take it out of the trash and show us. That'll be fine, right?

Patty: That's just gross! I refuse to allow Jane ten feet near the inside of that thing!

Rosemary: But it's necessary. That's the only way I'll not suspect her.

Benjamin: Besides, I don't think she can do that, can she?

Jane: H-Huh?!

Benjamin: There is no perfume, is there?

Fatima: Benjamin! How could you be so cold hearted to our friend?!

Benjamin: "Cold hearted"?!

Julian: Benji, this is kinda hard to believe...

**Wait, Julian doesn't believe me either...?**

Benjamin: Julian, I thought you said you believed in me...

Julian: I do believe in you! That's why I need you to convince me

Benjamin: What?

Julian: Convince me that Jane killed him.

Julian: I don't wanna think that she could do such a thing, but if you think she did it. Convince me.

**...!**

**Then, everything's up to me...**

**This whole trial can be saved if I'm able to show how Jane could've done this!**

Benjamin: Okay Julian, I'll do my best.

Gomez: So, you're really going though this...

Jane: ...

**I'm sorry Jane, but if you really killed him, you have to face the consequences...**

**Whatever they are...**

 

**NONSTOP DEBATE! START!**

 

**Evidence: Shower Rooms, Killing Game Rules, Fatima's Testimony**

 

Jane: **_I didn't k-kill R-Rhys_**!

Rosemary: Jane, you need to tell us...

Rosemary: What were you doing before the party?

Jane: I w-was **w-waiting f-for the ann-n-nouncement!**

Angela: What else did you do hun?

Sherry-Anne: Yeah, that can't be it!

Jane: Well, **I d-did take a sh-shower...**

Jane: B-But that's it!

Jane: I sw-swear! I didn't d-do anyth-thing! 

Julian: I...really _**don't think she killed Rhys**_...

Julian: Sorry Benji...

 

**Wait, what was that? What they said isn't possible! Not even close!**

 

**SOLUTION: Killing Game Rules - > " I d-did take a sh-shower..."**

 

Benjamin: That's incorrect!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: Jane, you couldn't have taken a shower in your Dorm Room!

Jane: Wh-What do you m-mean?

Julian: The water in the Dorm Rooms are turned off during Nighttime. So there's no way you took a shower.

Jane: ...!

**Okay, she's slipping up! I just need to keep up the momentum!**

Jane: B-But I didn't s-say that I used th-the Dorm R-Room sh-shower!

Angela: No, she didn't did she? So that makes your last point irrelevant!

Rosemary: Oh, really? And where did you go Jane?

Jane: The Shower R-Room!

**No, you didn't...**

Benjamin: Now you're just lying Jane.

Jane: L-Lying?! I'm n-not l-lying?!

Benjamin: Yes, you are! And I know who can prove it!

**I do know who can help me here.**

**Someone who went to the Girl's Shower Room before the Fire Alarm went of...**

 

[Fatima Mahaseth, Angela Buchanan, Monica Lyon, Claus Benafonte]

 

**SOLUTION: Monica Lyon**

 

Benjamin: That's it!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: Hey, Monica. You went to the Girl's Shower Room before the Fire Alarm went off, right?

Monica: Yeah, I did. What of it?

Benjamin: Did it show signs of use when you went inside?

Monica: Actually...

Monica: No it didn't!

Jane: AAAAGH!

Julian: So...Jane lied?

Benjamin: Julian, can you see why we suspect her? 

Julian: ...

Julian: Yeah...I do...

**Oh Julian, I'm so sorry...**

**I wish you didn't have to go through this...**

Rosemary: Besides, didn't I mention earlier that no one at the party was wet?

Claus: Oui, you did. Which means our little chérubin is hiding something, no?

Jane: Ah...ah...AH!!!

Patty: Jane, why did you say that?!

Patty: Why are you lying to us?!

Fatima: We want to prove you innocent, but you can not senselessly lie!

Angela: Hun, leave it to us, okay?

Jane: ...!

Jane: Th-Thanks you g-guys!

Rosemary: You three, why are you defending her?

Angela: Because hun, she didn't kill Rhys!

Angela: You're leading us down the wrong path, and if I have to knock some sense into you...

Angela: I'll do it gladly!

**Angela...**

**I know you and Jane are close, but you can't deny the possibility!**

**So, I'll knock some sense into you too!**

 

**NONSTOP DEBATE! START!**

 

**Evidence: Red Underwear, Bowl of Water, Burnt Clump, Rhys' Suit**

 

Angela: You may suspect Jane now...

Angela: But there's **a lot that hasn't been explained yet**!

Julian: Don't you think we know that?!

Julian: That's what we need to find out!

Patty: Then where do you suggest we start, wise guy?

Rosemary: **_The Office was the scene of the crime after all_**...

Rosemary: So why not there?

Fatima: **Because everything has been explained!**

Fatima: There is no need to venture further!

Jane: I t-told you _ **I'm n-not th-the k-killer**_...

 

**What that one person said...**

**I'm sure there something off about that. But what...**

 

 **SOLUTION: Red Underwear - > "Because everything has been explained!"** 

 

Benjamin: That's incorrect!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: Actually, not everything in the Office has been cleared up yet.

Fatima: It is not? Well, what has not been explained yet?

Benjamin: These.

**I send a picture of the Red Underwear to the Class Trial App.**

**...Looking at it now, it seems like a really promiscuous picture....**

Sherry-Anne: B-Ben! Are...you a secret pervert?!

Benjamin: Wh-What?! No! 

Angela: Hun, why do you have a pair of men's underwear on your e-Handbook?

Benjamin: B-Because it's important to the case! 

Jane: H-How are un-nderwear imp-portant to th-the case?!

Rosemary: It's important because of what happened when he sniffed them.

**...**

**Rose why did you have to say it like that?!**

Jane: Wh-What?!

Patty: Ben, that's so disgusting?! I thought you had class!

Benjamin: It's not like that! Rose asked me to!

Fatima: So Rose is also a pervert?!

Rosemary: Of course not, I wanted him to test something out for me.

Gabriel: Like what exactly? It's a very strange request...

Rosemary: I'll get to that. But more importantly, he passed out shortly after sniffing them.

Topaz: Sound like straight up lust to me! Like those cartoons in Japanese!

Rosemary: No, that's not it at all. The underwear actually wasn't the only thing to make someone pass out.

Rosemary: I'm sure they're related to each other.

**Yeah she's right! And there's only one thing it could possibly be...!**

 

**SOLUTION: Plastic Bottle**

 

Benjamin: That's it!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: There was a brown bottle in the locked drawer. 

Julian: Yeah, Rose made me smell it and I almost passed out!

Patty: Oh no! Are you okay now?!

Julian: Yeah, but I fell on my ass pretty hard...

Julian: But nothing a shower won't help in the morning!

Byron: Julian, not to be a prick, but is that really important?

Topaz: Yes!

Sherry-Anne: Yes!

Patty: Yes!

Byron: ...!

Byron: Okay then...

**Wait....**

**Oh hell no, he's mine skanks! Did he almost kiss you at midnight? I don't think so!**

Rosemary: You are all ridiculous...

Gomez: The Plastic Bottle could only be a type of chloroform, correct?

Monokuma: That's absolutely correct! But it's a little more special than that...!

Benjamin: Okay, spill! Obviously it's a part of the First Floor Secret, so what is it?!

Monokuma: With pleasure!

Monokuma: I call it Monokuma's Magic Chloroform! It's way more potent than any store bought purchase! The smaller you are, the quicker it's effects activate! So it would be easier to knock out Mr. Brown than it will be to knock out Mr. Levi!

Benjamin: So that's why I blacked out and Julian was still conscious after we got a whiff of the stuff!

Ufelia: That's all well and good, but how does it connecté to le chérubin?

Rosemary: We're getting there, don't fret.

Rosemary: It's important to recognize that the Red Underwear was found in the locked drawer as well as the Plastic Bottle. Which means the culprit didn't want us finding it.

Rosemary: So Jane, why would they do that?

Jane: H-How would I kn-know th-that?

Byron: That'll become clear very soon. Just look at the Monokuma File and there's one piece of evidence that points directly to the killer.

Jane: Wh-What?!

Monica: Dude, chill out! You've been screaming since the accusation started!

Angela: She has every right to scream! She's being accused of murder!

Monica: Look, all I'm saying is that if she wants people to believe her, she needs to calm herself.

Monica: Despite the evidence against you so far, I need more proof. 

Julian: You'll get your proof!

Julian: But I don't know how the "fruity perfume smell" and the lying about the shower doesn't give you a clue...

Byron: Brown, you know what I'm saying, right?

**Byron's actually talking to me without being a dick?! Huh, who would've known...?**

**He still doesn't say my real name, but whatever, progress!**

**Let's see, looking at Jane being the killer, some stuff does make sense now.**

**I just have to put it all together...**

 

**CRITICAL THINKING! START!**

 

Why did the killer lure Rhys to the front desk?

 

[to admire the view/to ambush him/so he could eat in peace]

 

Which piece of the Monokuma File is connected to the killer?

 

[the bruises/the murder weapon/his suit]

 

What caused the bruising?

 

[their words/their fists/an object]

 

Why did they use the chloroform?

 

[to fall asleep/to knock out Rhys/they was thirsty]

 

**SOLUTION: to ambush him, the bruises, an object, to knock out Rhys**

 

Benjamin: It's coming to me!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: The killer planned to ambush and knock out Rhys to make him easier to kill! That's the only reason they'd use the chloroform at all!

Benjamin: We already suspected that the killer blindsided him using the Bowl of Grapes to lure him to the front desk. This just confirms our theory!

Byron: Precisely. And, who would need the chloroform in the first place?

Monica: What?! What does that mean?!

Rosemary: Rhys was the shortest and weakest out of all the guys and anyone here.

Rosemary: But there's only one other person here that's weaker than him.

Monica: J-Jane!

Jane: Ah...!

Benjamin: And once more, a particular set of bruises are connected to her as well. Look.

**I send the Monokuma File to the Class Trial App again to help support my accusation.**

 

 

_Monokuma File #1:_

_The victim is Rhys Morimoto. The body was found in the Office at approximately 12 AM._

_The cause of death was a stab wound through the skull._

_There's evidence of bruising all around the victim's knees, but only **the bruises on the back of the knees are in a straight line.**_

 

 

Benjamin: The bruising in a straight line is directly connected to her!

Jane: H-How so?! 

Julian: If you need to ask that, then you really think we're stupid, don't you?

Fatima: That is out of line!

Fatima: Is this really how you two are?! Accusing your dearest friends?!

Fatima: Jane has been with us from the very beginning, yet you berate her and berate her with ill accusations!

Benjamin: Fatima, do you honestly think we enjoy doing this?!

Jane: It s-seems like it!

Benjamin: I didn't ask you Jane! I asked Fatima!

Fatima: You did not explain the straight bruise! You are stalling for something! I know it!

Rosemary: They were getting to it, right Ben?

Benjamin: Yeah, I was.  

**It's extremely obvious what caused that straight line. It's...**

 

[Jane's Glasses, Jane's Heels, Jane's Fist, Jane's Walking Stick]

 

**SOLUTION: Jane's Walking Stick**

 

Benjamin: That's it!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: The thing that caused the straight bruise was Jane's Walking Stick!

Jane: ...!

Fatima: What are you talking about?!

Benjamin: Jane used her walking stick behind Rhys' knees to weaken him. That's how the bruise got there!

Jane: N-No! That's wr-wrong!

Rosemary: Are you sure about that?

Jane: Y-Yes!

Rosemary: Then you wouldn't mind giving us your walking stick, right? You know, to compare the stick to the bruising.

Jane: ...

Fatima: Jane, just hand over your walking stick! That will immediately clear your name!

Jane: ...

Fatima: Jane...?

Julian: Well, that's that...

Jane: ...!

Fatima: Jane...did you really do it?

Jane: N-No! I didn't d-do this!

Topaz: Then give them your walking stick!

Gabriel: I have to say, they're making a very solid case against you...

Patty: Oh please!

**Okay, Patty's pissing me off! She just can't be wrong, can she...?**

**You know what? It's fine Ben, just inhale and exhale. Just hear her out, you have some patience...**

**Some...**

Benjamin: Is there something you'd like to share Patty?

Patty: As a matter of fact, I do! There's stuff the killer did that Jane couldn't do!

Julian: Like what?

Patty: I'll show you exactly why...

**She's gonna be...interesting while we're here, isn't she?**

**Whatever, let's do this.**

 

**NONSTOP DEBATE! START!**

 

**Evidence: Computer/Printer Setup, Paper Shredder, Strange Key**

 

Patty: There's one mistake you guys are making...

Patty: **Jane couldn't have written those letters!**

Rosemary: Who says she wrote them?

Angela: You did!

Angela: **_You've been saying that this whole time!_**

Julian: I don't think that's what she's saying exactly...

Julian: Besides, **the letters were typed after all!**

Julian: Rose just says things cryptically...

Sherry-Anne: Yeah, but _**she still can't see the computer keys!**_

Sherry-Anne: So she would've just written gibberish if she even tried!

Rosemary: **_You guys are blinded by her frailty..._**

Rosemary: You choose not to look past friendship at actual possibility.

Rosemary: **_That will end us here._**

 

**I feel like there's something that we're missing here. I know Jane wrote those letters, but how can I prove it...?**

 

**SOLUTION: Computer/Printer Setup - > "Jane couldn't have written those letters!"**

 

Benjamin: That's incorrect!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: No Patty! Jane could have written those letters!

Patty: How?! She can't see!

Benjamin: You didn't see what I saw though! There's a special quality about the keyboard!

 

_FLASHBACK_

 

_Now that Rose says that, I do realize now that there's also a printer next to the computer! State of the art as well! I walk towards the computer and begin investigating everything about it, the dotted texture of the keyboard, the sleekness of it's exterior, overall it's a great computer to me! But, why is it here?_

 

_END FLASHBACK_

 

Benjamin: The keyboard has these strange array of dots on every key!

Topaz: So what?! That don't prove anything!

Rosemary: Yes it does. It's actually the same exact reason she could've used the lanterns as well.

Jane: Wh-Why are you l-lying?! I c-couldn't have used either of th-them!

Julian: No Jane, you're lying! We actually talked about why you you could read the Fireworks Manual the other day!

Jane: ...!

Angela: I don't remember any such thing!

Julian: Well, it's true. Because the book and the keyboard have the same dots in them! I noticed the dots in the book during the Investigation.

**He did. It was strange at first, that's for sure...**

 

_FLASHBACK_

 

_"I just wish there was more to the page. Everything in here has only one side to it. It explains one thing on each page and moves on when you turn the page." Julian observes, which, I admit, is a very weird trait for a book to have..._

 

_END FLASHBACK_

 

Patty: It c-could be a coincidence...!

Benjamin: It's not Patty, because the dots are what showcases the possibility of both reading the manual and typing on the Computer!

**I need to show her, she won't accept that Jane could've done this until she knows!**

 

**HANGMAN'S ANAGRAM**

 

ILLAREB

 

**Solution: Braille**

 

Benjamin: It's coming to me! 

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: The dots on the Fireworks Manual and the keyboard is Braille!

Patty: Wh-What?!

Rosemary: Exactly. Remember when I explained what it was when we investigated the New Year's Floor?

 

_FLASHBACK_

 

_...unlike your room, the Chinese Room has an instruction manual on how to use the dangerous items in the crate. I opened the book and the pages weren't front to back, there was one side with plain old English, but on the back, there were a bunch of dots on the back." Rhys discloses to us. So, the American Room and the Chinese Room have a lot of similarities to it._

_"Rhys, were the dots raised a little so you could feel them?" Rose asks him, her face and tone both emotionless._

_"Why yes, they did. Why?" he asks her, probably confused on why it's important._

_"It's Braille. For Jane." Rose answers him, and it makes complete sense to me. How else was she gonna read it?_

_"Oh, really? Monokuma did that for me?" Jane asks Rose, her timid nature carrying over to her voice._

_"Why of course I did! Did you think I was gonna exclude you sweetie?!"_

 

_END FLASHBACK_

 

Rosemary: Monokuma specifically made accommodations so Jane can have access to the same information we do.

Julian: So yeah, she could've made not only the letters, but also could've set off the Fire Alarm!

Jane: AAAAAAGH!

Patty: Jane...is that true...? Did you really do it?!

Jane: N-No! It's j-just a c-coincid-dence!

Fatima: It does not seem like it...

**This is it! We might have their support now! It's hard, but they have to face the facts. Jane did this. I know it.**

Benjamin: Patty, Fatima, can you see why we're doing this? Do you finally understand that Jane could've done this?

Fatima: I...I do not know!

Julian: All of our suspicions are warranted, we promise. We wouldn't do this if we weren't absolutely sure, okay?

Fatima: ...!

Fatima: ...Okay...

Jane: F-Fatima...?

Fatima: Jane, if you really did not do this, they will find an error. But at this moment, I cannot interfere any longer.

Jane: ...!

Patty: Yeah, sorry Jane. We need to do this. It's nothing personal, really.

Jane: ...!

Jane: ...

Rosemary: Okay, let's con-

Angela: I've had enough of this!

**I hear that before a loud bang sound reverberates throughout the Trial Grounds! I look for the cause of the alarming sound and find Angela, fists clenching on her podium and her face filled with unspeakable rage!**

Fatima: A-Angela?! What is the meaning of this?!

Angela: You all abandoned her...

Sherry-Anne: What are you talking about She-Hulk?!

Angela: You abandoned our friend when she needed you most! 

Angela: You all may be weak-minded, but not me! I refuse to give up on Jane!

Jane: A-Angela?!

Angela: She didn't do this. She couldn't have done this, no matter what evidence you construe in your favor! 

Angela: I'll show you Ben! Rose! Julian!

Angela: I'll show you all how wrong you are!

Benjamin: Angela?!

**Angela...**

**You really care about your friends, always giving them the benefit of the doubt...**

**But Angela's being so stubborn, I don't understand!**

**And "construe evidence" my ass!**

**I'll just have to show Angela concrete evidence that Jane did this. No more "could have's".**

**Angela, it's time to face the truth!**

 

**NONSTOP DEBATE! START!**

 

**Evidence: Rhys' Letter, The Twins' Testimony, Ufelia's Letter**

 

Angela: **Jane would never do such a thing!**

Julian: And how do you know that, exactly?

Angela: Because you **haven't shown anything linking her to the crime**!

Angela: And until you do...

Angela: I refuse to fathom the very idea!

Fatima: Angela, please **control your emotions!**

Fatima: **_It is blinding you from seeing any possibility she is the culprit!_**

Patty: Come on Angela...

Patty: _**I hate this too but...**_

Patty: Exploring every option is all we can do right now!

Angela: And I'm telling you, **_you're wrong about Jane_**!

Angela: Listen to reason!

 

**"Listen to reason"?! Take your own advice!**

**Something needs to be done, Angela won't understand unless I prove it to her, without a shadow of a doubt!**

 

**SOLUTION: Ufelia's Letter - > "haven't shown anything linking her to the crime!"**

 

Benjamin: That's incorrect!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: That's where you're wrong Angela. There is something only Jane could've done.

Angela: Nonsense! You're making stuff up!

Benjamin: No, I'm not Angela! Because only Jane could've written Ufelia's Letter!

 

Angela: SASHAY AWAY!

 

[split screen between Angela and Benjamin]

 

Benjamin: Are you serious right now?!

Angela: Dead serious.

Angela: There's a flaw in your argument Ben! It's time to admit you're wrong! 

 

**BATTLE OF WITS! BEGIN!**

 

**Evidence: Ufelia/Rhys Fight, Rhys' Letter, Ufelia's Letter**

 

Angela: Hun, how can you not see your argument's flaw?

Angela: You say that only Jane could write that letter...

Angela: But **you have no**   **evidence!**

Angela: Until I see that...

Angela: I refuse to go against my friend!

 

**ADVANCE**

Benjamin: But you won't listen to reasons!

Benjamin: You're the only one who thinks Jane's innocent!

 

Angela: Because she is innocent!

Angela: Every piece of evidence you have so far...

Angela: **Can have another explanation for it!**

Angela: So instead of making outlandish accusations...

Angela: Help me find the real culprit!

 

**But Angela, the culprits been evident for a while now...**

**Now it's time to get your full cooperation!**

 

**SOLUTION: Ufelia/Rhys Fight - > "you have no evidence!"**

 

Benjamin: Think again!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: Angela, that's enough.

Angela: Wh-What?!

Benjamin: Please, it's a losing fight.

Angela: How can you say that hun?! I'll never-

Benjamin: I have proof. Absolute proof that Jane did this.

Jane: Wh-What?!

Angela: Don't worry Jane it's-

Byron: Angela, shut the fuck up.

Angela: Excuse me?!

Rosemary: I would say it respectfully, but please. Shut up.

Angela: ...!

Julian: Go ahead Benji. Finish this!

Benjamin: Thank you guys.

Benjamin: Anyways, as I said before, only Jane could've written it.

Angela: How so?

Benjamin: Because there's a huge part of the letter that's incriminating. 

Benjamin: Ufelia, can you send your letter again?

Ufelia: Oui, of course.

**Ufelia sends the letter to the class Trial App.**

 

 _Ufelia,_  

                     _I sincerely apologize for my previous indecencies my delicate flower. I wish to apologize in person if you'd be so kind. Can you please meet me in the Office after the party starts? Make sure no one sees you, I promise it'll be the last time you'll ever have to speak to me._

  _Rhys_

 

Ufelia: I don't have an idée why you need it, but I'll obliger.

Benjamin: Believe me, this is exactly what we need. 

Benjamin: But Ufelia, can you recall this morning's events?

Ufelia: The fight with me and Rhys? Of course.

Benjamin: Anything in particular you can remember?

Ufelia: Of course, I abhored his existence!

Monica: Hey! Respect!

Ufelia: Whatever, he didn't le respect moi! 

Ufelia: Calling me "delicate flower", who is he to say such things?!

Benjamin: Right there, what did he call you?

Ufelia: Huh,"delicate flower"?

Gomez: Excuse me, but how is that important Benjamin?

Benjamin: I'm getting to that. 

Benjamin: Ufelia, did he call you that before today?

Ufelia: Absolutely not! I would've combattu with him before today if he did.

Benjamin: So today was the only time he called you that and that just so happened to be on the letter?

Claus: Oui, that's why she was so convaincu that he wrote it.

Benjamin: And it just so happens that there were only a few people who could've heard him call you that.

Benjamin: You, Claus, myself, Julian, Fatima and...

Ufelia: Jane!

Jane: AAAGH!

Benjamin: And no one else has evidence against them. Just you.

Jane: Ah. Ah! AH!

Angela: Jane, what's he talking about?!

Jane: I d-don't kn-know! 

Julian: Angela, you wouldn't really know. You were with Rose, remember?

Rosemary: Exactly, I took you, Byron, and Sherry-Anne with me to confront Monokuma this morning.

Rosemary: Leaving behind Fatima and Jane.

Rosemary: That means only the six of you are the only ones that could possibly use his pet names for you to their advantage.

Claus: Wow little cherubin, how devious you are...

Angela: ...!

Angela: Jane...

Jane: Angela?

Angela: Jane, you really did this, didn't you?

Jane: ...No.

Angela: ...

Angela: I don't believe you anymore.

Jane: ...?!

Angela: There's too much evidence against you.

Angela: I don't want to think you could do such a horrible thing, but I can't help you anymore.

Angela: Sorry...

Jane: ...?!

Jane...

Jane: So, that's it, is it?

**Wait, what? Did she just say that perfectly?**

Angela: J-Jane?

Jane: When the grass is greener on the other side, you betray anyone you need to, right?!

Fatima: Jane, what has gotten into you?!

Jane: "What's gotten into me?!" What's gotten into you?! 

Jane: All of you are bullies! People that prey on the weak, the handicapped!

Jane: I spent all my life fighting people like you! I thought you were my friends!

Patty: Jane we-!

Jane: Shut! Up!

Jane: I'm sick of all of you! Especially you!

**She points her accusing finger in my direction!**

Benjamin: M-Me?! What did I do?!

Jane: You're the worst of them all! Saying that you're my friend and then betray me?! What kind of friend is that?!

Benjamin: It's not like I wanted to! Why would I ever want someone to be accused of murder?!

Jane: You tell me!

Julian: Jane, I don't think he want to do thi-

Jane: Shut the fuck up you faggot! Stop defending your butt buddy and let him defend himself!

Julian: ...

Julian: What did you just say?

Benjamin: Julian, let it go.

Jane: No! Please! Hit me! Hit the blind girl in the face! Will that make you feel good?! Huh?!

Julian: ...

**Oh my god...**

**Is this who Jane really is?! Was her timid nature a lie?**

Julian: ...

**Even Julian's taken back by her behavior!**

**This has to mean that she's getting desperate! We're so close to getting her to confess!**

Benjamin: Jane, how about instead of making homophobic remarks, you just confess? Keep what's left of your image intact, okay?

Jane: Excuse me?! Was I talking to you?!

Rosemary: Jane, this has gotten way too far.

Jane: No, it hasn't gone far enough! 

Jane: I'm the one getting accused of murder, not you, you stupid fucking cunt!

**Oh no....**

Rosemary: ...

Julian: ...

**Oh no, now she has Rose mad at her too!**

Rosemary: No matter what you do Jane, we have you right where we want you.

Jane: ...!

Jane: ....

Byron: This is thoroughly entertaining, but can we move on-?

Jane: You don't have me anywhere Rosemary.

Jane: In fact, you still have a problem on your hands, don't you?

**Huh? What is she talking about?**

Rosemary: And what exactly is that?

Jane: Well how was I able to see? I am blind after all.

Sherry-Anne: You used your walking stick! How else?!

Jane: On the contrary, that's the problem isn't it?

Jane: If I was waiting for Rhys to go to the Office, how would I be able to see him?

Jane: I can't tap my walking stick, he'd obviously hear it and turn around.

Jane: My plan would've been ruined.

**...**

**...Damn it!**

Topaz: She's right! How would she see if she couldn't use that damn stick?!

Ufelia: Claus, you were droite. She is a chérubin intelligent.

Claus: Told you so.

Jane: So that means I didn't do this. Plain and simple.

Jane: Now that I drilled that into your thick skulls, can we go back to Ufelia now?

Ufelia: ...

Ufelia: Claus, I take it back.

Claus: As do I.

**...**

**No, wait.**

Rosemary: Actually Jane, just because you didn't use your walking stick to see, doesn't mean you didn't have a method that allowed you to be stealthy.

Monica: She could do that?!

Jane: O-Of course not! She's lying to you!

Benjamin: No, she's not. And I can prove it.

Jane: No you can't, you clod! Let the grown ups talk while you mind your own damn business!

Benjamin: Yes, I can! It's the one thing that hasn't been explained yet! The one odd thing at the crime scene that didn't make sense!

 

**SOLUTION: Speaker**

 

Benjamin: That's it! 

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: You used the Speaker to see!

Jane: WHAAAAAAAAAT?!

Angela: Uh Ben, that's a little odd. There's no way she used it.

Rosemary: But she did. Jane used it in an unorthodox way, that's all.

Jane: No I didn't! Stop lying! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! STOP IT!!!

Benjamin: Jane, it's over! You're finished! 

Jane: No I'm not! I refuse to give up! You can't make me confess!

**It looks like Jane won't back down until she knows that it's over.**

**So I won't back down either!**

**This is all or nothing!**

 

**DANCE OF DESPERATION! WALTZ OF GLUTTONY START!**

 

Jane: You fucking clod!

Jane: How can you be more blind than I am?!

Jane: You need to get your eyes checked!

Jane: I m-mean!

Jane: Th-That's r-ridicul-lous!

Jane: I'd n-never!

Jane: So stop being ignorant you fuck!

 

**FINISHING MOVE!**

 

Jane: There's no way the Speaker would benefit me, you asshole!

 

                  Echo

 

Jane                                 Used

 

               Location

 

**SOLUTION: Jane Used Echo Location**

 

Benjamin: You're done for!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: Jane, you did use the Speaker to help you see, but that's not all you used.

Jane: What the hell are you talking about?!

Benjamin: Because you used your Echo Location too!

Jane: WHAT?!

Gabriel: Echo Location...?!

Benjamin: Remember Monokuma's slide show on our first day?

 

_FLASHBACK_

 

_"Next, we have **Jane Hilton** , the Ultimate Blind Role Model! She goes around the country as an inspirational speaker against bullying and discrimination towards the handicapped! Not only that, she is the first person to perfect the art of echo location, the technique bats use to see, even in total darkness! Since she's able to see, she teaches her technique to other blind people in America, allowing them to be more independent in society!"_

 

_END FLASHBACK_

 

Benjamin: Monokuma told us she had Echo Location, and that's how she was able to see without using her walking stick!

Rosemary: Echo Location allows bats to see where they're going by using sound waves.

Angela: Is that why only the bass was turned up on the Speaker?

Rosemary: Exactly. Jane took advantage of the pulses through her feet and found her way through that.

Jane: ...!

Jane: You flaming bastard! How dare you!

Jane: Stop being wrong! In fact, just stop your very existence!

**What the fuck?!**

Benjamin: Why won't you just give up?!

Rosemary: It seems like she's not ready to give in yet. You need to show her Ben.

Benjamin: Huh?

Rosemary: Show he how only she could do commit this crime, then she'll confess.

Angela: Please, make her confess. It hurts too much...

Benjamin: ...

Julian: Benji, you can do this. Be strong.

Benjamin: ...

Benjamin: Okay, I can do this. For all of you!

 

**FINAL ARGUMENT!**

 

Benjamin: Here's the one and only truth of the case!

 

Benjamin: The crime began when we all went in our rooms to prepare for Monokuma's New Year's Bash. The killer took this opportunity to plant a crucial part of their plan. The Letters they made earlier were delivered to the victim, Rhys, and the one they were pinning the crime on, Ufelia.

Benjamin: The Letters were different for each recipient; Rhys' Letter asked him to meet them in the Office at 10:30 while Ufelia's Letter asked her to meet them when the party started, at 11:00. But the key to this scheme was that they were supposedly written from each other. This was to convince Rhys to meet them there and to further frame Ufelia for the crime.

Benjamin: Rhys, thinking it was Ufelia, went to the Storage Room to change his clothes to more presentable ones. But what he didn't know is that Ufelia and Claus were in there hiding from him. He left his clothes in the changing Room, thinking he was coming back to retrieve them. But the killer had different plans for him.

Benjamin: At some point, the killer entered the American Room, grabbed a Sparkling Wine Bottle, and smashed it against the NYC Ball Drop and shattered it. They grabbed a shard of glass, the Speaker, and the Bowl of Water and went to the Chinese Room through the Secret Grate behind the Fireworks Crate. They probably never would've guessed that the wine would make them smell so strongly, which was their fatal mistake that started our argument against them.

Benjamin: In the Chinese Room, the killer grabbed Paper Lanterns, the Fireworks Manual, and one of the Red Underwear and left. They were limited on time after all. Rhys was gonna go to the Office soon. 

Benjamin: When they got to the Office, the killer soaked the Red Underwear in the Chloroform Monokuma made himself. This was to make it easier to kill Rhys, as the killer is the weakest out of everyone here. They then set up the Speaker behind the Main Desk, being sure to set it on low volume, but high bass. This helped them see when they needed to be quiet. They placed the Bowl of Grapes of the desk and the Paper Lanterns behind the desk and waited for Rhys. Near the door, most likely.

Benjamin: When Rhys went to the Office in his new suit, he saw the Bowl of Grapes immediately. Since he hadn't eaten anything but breakfast, he was definitely hungry, and the killer knew that. That's why  they used the grapes, after all. Rhys went to the fruit and never even noticed the killer behind them. That's when they decided to strike.

Benjamin: They used their walking stick and whacked Rhys behind his knees, causing unusual bruising, before chloroforming him. With Rhys now incapacitated, the killer lit the Paper Lanterns and placed them under the sprinklers. They took the letter they gave to Rhys and went in the back room to shred any evidence it existed, forgetting that the computer's copy was still there. Afterwords, they locked the room with the Strange Key they found in the Golden Dragon Statue, placed the empty bottle of Chloroform and the Red Underwear in the drawer of the Main Desk and locked it as well. They only had one thing left to do at that point.

Benjamin: They stabbed Rhys with the Glass Shard under his jaw before closing the door and leaving the Paper Lanterns to do their job. They put the Strange Key back in the loose tooth on the dragon statue, but made the tooth crooked in the process, to their misfortune because that key helped us solve this case. They went back to their room and waited for the final part of their plan to come to fruition.

Benjamin: When it became 11:00, everyone went to do their own thing. A lot of us went to the party, but others didn't. When Ufelia and Claus went to the Office, they looked in horror at the crime before them. The Twins probably figured out that someone was framing Ufelia, so they didn't tell anyone about their findings to push suspicion off of her.

Benjamin: At the party, I notice that there was a fruity aroma in the air, in which I asked the killer why they smelled like that. They passed it off as perfume, but in reality, it was the wine they got on them. I'm glad I smelled that because that's what helped me come to the conclusion that they were involved in the first place. At 12:00, the Paper Lanterns engulfed themselves in flames and caused the Fire Alarm to go off.

Benjamin: After we left the party, we noticed the blood on the floor, leading us to the Office, and the crime scene. We all acted surprised, but I believe the killer was filled with pure, sadistic pride that their plan worked. And there's only one person they could be.

 

[split screen between Benjamin and Jane, who's gripping her hair in a furious fear]

 

Benjamin: Jane Hilton, you're the one that killed Rhys in cold blood!

 

**BREAK!**

 

Benjamin: So Jane, are you done?

Jane: ...!

Jane: ...

Angela: Jane, at least say something. Please.

Jane: ...

Rosemary: So, you're not even gonna answer us? Is this you confessing your guilt?

Jane: ...

Julian: Then, this is it. We have our culprit.

Gabriel: I can't believe it. Someone so small, so kind doing something like this...

Byron: Appearances can be deceiving. Don't be fooled.

Fatima: You could say it nicer Byron.

Byron: Whatever. It's time to vote.

Topaz: Vote?!

Gomez: Topaz, we have to vote for the culprit. That's how we leave here.

Sherry-Anne: Yeah, but what happens after that?

Monokuma: Who cares?! I heard you want to vote now, right?! So let's get to it then!

Monokuma: On your e-handbooks, the Voting App is now unlocked and will only be unlocked at the Class Trial! Press the face you wish to vote for!

Monokuma: Everyone has to vote, or else I'll just kill you myself! Got it?!

Rosemary: Crystal...

Monokuma: Okay! Let's get this things underway!

Monokuma: IT'S VOTING TIME!

**I open the Voting App and I see everybody's faces, but Rhys' stands out due to it's black and white filter. I guess that's what happens when you die. I see Jane's portrait, her terrified, innocent expression and I find myself second guessing my choice. But I know she did this. And she has to face the consequences. I tap on her face and I wait for everyone to finish.**

Monokuma: The votes are in! Let's see the results!

**A huge monitor comes behind Monokuma and comes to life. The screen shows all of our faces and tallies the voting results before our very eyes. Everyone voted for Jane, except for one person voting for Ufelia. I'm guessing that's Jane's doing.**

Monokuma: It looks like a unanimous vote for Jane! Let's see if you got it right...

 

**RESULTS!**

 

[the monitor goes black]

[the screen fades in and out, slowly revealing the figure the camera is rotating around]

???: "I-I'm just so nervous all the time! I constantly feel like I have to listen more closely just in case someone tries to get me, like I can't trust the people I should! I'm not stupid! I kn-kn-know that I'm an easy target for any one of you!"

[the figure comes into view and shows JANE HILTON, the Ultimate Blind Role Model]

[the words GUILTY in big letters are shown in front of JANE]

 

**CLASS TRIAL END**

 

Monokuma: You got it right! The one who killed Mr. Morimoto was Jane Hilton! Aren't you proud?!

**I can't believe it...**

**I knew she killed him, but hearing the confirmation, it's worse than I could ever imagine!**

**Jane killed someone!**

Angela: No...

Fatima: Why Jane? Why did you kill him?!

Jane: ...

Patty: Answer us! Why did you do it?!

Gabriel: You didn't have to, but you committed this unforgivable sin anyways. How could you?

Jane: ...

Jane: I just wanted to see.

Rosemary: What was that?

Sherry-Anne: Wh-What did you say?!

Jane: That's why I did it. I wanted to see.

Claus: And what does that mean, cherubin?

Jane: When Monokuma gave us the motive, that's what helped me decide. 

Jane: Do you know how depressing it is to see an endless sea of black? I've only ever been able to feel different colors, but I want to see them! Red, Blue, Purple, I want to see them all!

Angela: But Jane, you wouldn't have your talent if you had perfect vision.

Jane: Fuck my talent!

Monica: Whoa! Chill dude!

Jane: No! I'm sick of people thinking I'm weaker because of my disease! You have no idea how it is to be patronized, dehumanized every day of your very existence! Why wouldn't I take the chance to be normal?! I'd sacrifice anything if it meant I could finally live life!

Rosemary: Even sacrificing another person, like Rhys.

Jane: Yes. And that I did. I killed Rhys, and I'm not sorry about it.

Julian: Was your whole personality a lie? Is this who you really are?!

Jane: Of course it was! Why on Earth would anyone speak and act like an abused cat every day?! I only did that to make you under-estimate me!

Benjamin: So, you were planning on killing since the very first day.

Jane: Are you surprised? I wasn't gonna stay in this hell hole with you bastards!

Angela: Jane, why are you being so mean?

Jane: Because I killed for nothing! You all took away my one chance of seeing! Why couldn't you all take your punishment like the dogs you are?!

Benjamin: Wow...

**Is this really who Jane is? So the girl I got to know, the one who was so scared of us, this place, that was a character she created?**

Ufelia: You really are a bitch, aren't you?

Jane: Whatever you say, clod.

Fatima: How can you trust Monokuma's word of his motive?! He may very well have been lying to begin a murder!

Monokuma: Nonsense! I said that the killer that gets away with their crime gets one wish! And that's what Jane would've gotten!

Monokuma: We had doctors on standby and everything...

Jane: So you really did rip my dream away from me...

Jane: Fuck you! Fuck all of you! 

Jane: How dare you stop me from my dream!

Angela: Enough Jane.

Angela: Please.

**It's very evident that Angela's mascara's running now. I don't blame her! If I defended someone I had faith in and they betrayed me, I don't know what I'd do!**

Jane: Ugh, what are you crying about?

Angela: Are you telling me that any friendship I had with you was just fake? Non-existent?

Angela: Jane, you will always be my friend. I accepted you for who you were and liked who you were!

Angela: How could you be so cruel...?

Jane: ...

Jane: Sorry, I guess.

Angela: ...!

Gomez: "I guess"? That's very cross of you to say considering Angela defended you when she was wrong.

Jane: Do you think I care?! She betrayed me too! Siding with dusty vag and the butt buddies!

Benjamin: Can you not Jane?! 

Rosemary: I never would've thought you had a vulgar mouth. And "dusty vag"? Creative much?

Jane: Are you trying to be funny Rosemary?

Rosemary: It's Rose.

Jane: I don't give a shit!

**Jane's voice echoes throughout the Trial Grounds! I don't think I'll be able to get those words out of my head for a bit...**

Jane: I'm done with all of you. You aren't my friends, and never will be.

Fatima: ...

Julian: ...

Angela: ...

Byron: Then I guess we're done here, aren't we?

Monokuma: Absolutely!

Gabriel: What do you want, Judas?

Monokuma: That's not my name!

Monokuma: Any how! It's time for the Punishment!

Gabriel: Oh yeah, I forgot. What is the Punishment anyways?

Monokuma: Oh you'll see...

**Huh? Why is he grinning like that?**

Benjamin: Hey, what are you planning kid?

Monokuma: I said you'll see, didn't I?! Just let me do my job!

Benjamin: ...

Monokuma: Okay, I've prepared a very special Punishment for the Ultimate Blind Role Model. And what a role model she is!

Jane: Finally! I can get away from you unfortunate children.

Jane: If you guys get out of here, don't come find me. I don't want to breathe the same air as you.

Monokuma: Let's give it everything we've got! IT'S PUNISHMENT TIME!

Jane: Good riddance. 

 

**GAME OVER!**

**Jane Hilton has been found GUILTY!**

**Commencing Execution!**

**Blind Promises**

**A chain comes out of a door and latches itself onto Jane's neck, catching her by surprise. she gets dragged away suddenly and drops her walking stick. Monokuma's Monitor then comes down and shows Jane getting dragged to a school. Two children in bear masks are pulling the chain that's attached to Jane's neck and Jane gets launched into a classroom and onto a chair. The children go around in circles and ties Jane to the chair by the same chain, but lets her arms stay free.**

**A teacher in a bear mask enters the room and places a paper and a plaque on the desk Jane's sitting at. The teacher grabs Jane's hand and puts it on the plaque. Once Jane really feels it, she realizes that it's Braille on the plaque! It reads "Fail to complete the requirements on the paper in front of you in 60 seconds, and you and this school will get blown up!" Jane looks up in horror and the teacher begins the timer while the children play with knives and other weapons.**

**Jane tries to read the paper, but there's no Braille on the paper! She can't read it at all! Jane begins to get nervous and terrified that she wont be able to save herself! The time ticks, ticks, ticks away as she contemplates what to do. The teacher with a sadistic grin on her face and the children watching her failure in giddy excitement! 20 seconds left on the clock, Jane gets the courage to do something! Anything! She begins to write anything she can on the paper, making sure she wrote something on the paper! Jane furiously writes on the paper and before she finishes what she's writing, a loud ringing sounds throughout the room!**

**The teacher takes the paper and evaluates Jane's performance. She laughs maniacally before setting another plaque on the table. Jane begins feeling the plaque and when finished, she looks up in complete horror! The plaque reads "Don't write anything on the paper and you pass!". The teacher and the two children pull a button out of nowhere and Jane screams in frustration and anger before they push it. The whole school gets blown up, debris everywhere! The children and the teacher are playing "Ring Around the Rosie", happy about the aftermath. Jane's cracked, circular sunglasses can be seen within the destruction.**

 

**...**

**...What?!**

**I stare in horror at what I just saw! I can't believe it! Did I just see Jane die?!**

Monica: Wh-What the fuck was that?!

Ufelia: AAAAAAAGH!!!!

Angela: Jane!!!

Monokuma: Hahahaha! What a trilling Punishment! I haven't felt such a rush in ages!!!

Rosemary: That wasn't Punishment. You killed her.

Monokuma: That's the Punishment, Rosemary! 

Monokuma: If you don't get away with murder, you get killed! That's how it is sweetheart!

Julian: That's so wrong! This is fucked!

Monokuma: Yeah, so? 

Benjamin: ...!

Monokuma: That's the name of the game. If you want to get out of here, you have to kill. If you're found out, you die. It's that simple.

Monokuma: Now that you know the consequences....

Monokuma: This game just got more exciting!

**He's gone...**

**Jane...**

**If she would've known the "Punishment", would she have done this?**

**And why...? Why do people have to die...?**

**I hear the door to the elevator open and no one's saying a word. They're just slowly walking to the elevator, void of life.**

**I was about to go, but I see Jane's walking stick on the ground from when she dropped it.**

**Before I leave, I grab it. This can be a memento for Jane. I want to remember her before she went all crazy like that.**

**I stand next to Julian who, without looking, puts his arm around my shoulders.**

**I don't even remember when I came back to our room, but I pull out Rhys' Pocket Protector and Jane's Walking Stick and I put them on top of the dresser.**

**Julian and I sit down on opposite sides of the bed, and I reflect on what just happened. We lost two friends today, senselessly taken away from us by unfulfilled dreams and hate.**

**Jane...**

**Rhys...**

**I feel thudding before Julian takes me in his arms, consoling me, seeing if I was okay. It's then that I notice that I'm hyperventilating and sobbing.**

**So much pain, so much despair.**

**I don't know when I fell asleep, but I do know that we will never be the same group again. Mentally and physically.**

 

 

**CHAPTER ONE: Be Careful What You Wish For END**

 

**REMAINING STUDENTS: 14**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's that. Two down, Fourteen to go! The next chapter happens soon, and with it, Free time Events! I hope you were prepared for this emotional rollercoaster! I wasn't even ready to write it! So yeah, tell me who you want to see FTE for! and tell me your thought! Thank you!


	12. Chapter Two: Blood Runs Thicker Than Friendship PART ONE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope's Peak Academy heralds the best of the best students from across the nation to gather at one place to hone and enhance their specific talents, igniting the hope of society to see a better and brighter tomorrow behind the smiles and eyes of those chosen to attend. The America Chapter of the academy has just begun to recruit and Benjamin Brown has been chosen as the Senior Class' Ultimate Lucky Student, randomly drawn from a nationwide lottery. To be chosen to attend a prestigious school, he has to be lucky right? Well he thought, until his world was turned upside down as soon as he entered the school. The school where a single bad decision can get you killed, robbing you of the hope that can quell the hunger of despair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I absolutely DO NOT own anything Danganronpa, the rights and the thanks go to Kazutaka Kodaka and Spike Chunsoft. However, I do own every character except for one, which you will see eventually. I own all of the students basically. I hope you enjoy and I do take feedback, so comment to your hearts content!

**DING DONG BING BONG!**

 

"Good  Morning everyone! It's now 7AM, which means Daytime has officially begun! I hope you enjoy a good breakfast and enjoy your despair-filled days!"

 

I couldn't sleep. Not even a wink. Last night's events kept on circulating in my mind, my nightmarish reality abducting me from any relief my dreams would give me. It's not fair. Why us? Why Rhys? Why Jane? If I wasn't scared before, I know I am now. No matter what you do, death is always the end result, it's inescapable. All I can do now is do my best to live. Killing is not the answer, no matter how enticing Monokuma's malicious motives are.

I pull the covers off of my tired body and I sluggishly do my morning stretches and body scratches. My eyes, however, are focused on the bureau adorning our departed friends' mementos. I slowly walk my way towards the bureau, my eyes stinging from the tears that threatened to come out. I have to keep them in, I can't cry like this. It shows how weak I really am and I can't afford weakness. That's what happened to Rhys. He was still hurting over Ufelia's rejection and Jane took advantage of that. It's...so cruel.

"Benji?"

I gasp as I turn around sharply, Jane's cane in my hand ready to strike! But I stop just as I realize that I was inches from Julian's face! He looks between his hand that grabbed the cane just in time and me, his face shocked and frightened at the same time.

"Benji-"

"I'm sorry!" I interrupt him before he says anything I probably won't want to hear. " I was just in my own world and you scared me and I thought someone was trying to kill me! I'm so sorry I hurt you! Oh my G-!"

"Hey!" Julian says with an authoritative voice that seems to boom throughout the dorm room, which immediately shuts me up. "Are you okay now?"

"Yeah, I think so." I have to say, it took me a second to actually assess if I was fine or not. I don't really know what fine is anymore. It's a sad thing.

"Good. Let's go meet the others then." Julian says as he goes to leave the dorm.

"Wait Julian." I say before he has a chance to leave.

"Yeah Benji?"

"Are you not gonna say anything about that? Like, at all?"

"No. Why would I?" he says simply. Too simply, in fact.

"Are you serious? I almost hit you with a stick!" I say incredulously! I mean, come on! I almost assaulted him! How wouldn't someone feel a certain way about that?!

"Yeah, but you didn't." He says simply. Again! Is he really that mad at me that he can't express is true emotions? I can't tell, like at all.

"Are you mad? Are your feelings hurt? Just say something about it so I'm not the only one that acknowledges it please?!"

"Benji, just calm down! It's not a big deal!"

" Julian, how is that  _not_ a big deal?!"

"Look! See?" Julian grabs my hand and places it on his chest. I can feel a steady beat on the palm of my hand. "Can you feel that? That means I'm here. It's gonna take a lot more than a stick to take me out."

"But Julian-"

"Benji. Let's just go eat, okay? All's forgiven, I promise." Julian puts his hands on my shoulders and flashes his award-winning smile at me. All of the sudden, I feel like everything's gonna be okay, washed away like they were never there in the first place. Damn him and that smile honestly. He's too good at this.

"Fine." I say reluctantly. "But I'll meet you there. I need to get changed, brush my teeth, all that jazz."

"Okay, see you there."

Julian opens the door, glancing one more time at me before leaving me alone. Alone with my thoughts, alone with my inner turmoil.

I put Jane's Walking Stick back on the bureau and I move to the Bathroom to do my business. While I brush my teeth, I can't help but recall what just happened. I almost struck Julian! What the hell's wrong with me?! That's not who I am! He could've died, for fuck's sake! This paranoia...it just keeps drilling and drilling into my head as each minute passes. I can't live like this here. I need to be able to trust everyone else here. Maybe, just maybe, going to breakfast will help me ease my fears. It's worth a shot, right? I spit out the foam in determination, to get out of this funk I'm in. To get out of this school without any more casualties! We're children! We shouldn't be forced to kill each other! Two's more than enough. No more! It's time to make this place safe to live, especially if we're supposed to live here for the rest of our lives. I leave the bathroom so I can put on my clothes, more specifically, a purple T-Shirt with jeans. I move to grab my sweater, but for some reason, my hand stops just before it touches the fabric. I don't know why, but I really don't think I should wear this anymore. It reminds me of who I was before I witnessed my friends' deaths, it's restricting honestly. So, I guess it's the end of the sweater era, never needed it anyways. After leaving my grey sweater behind, I grab my backpack, my e-Handbook, and leave my room with a smile on my face.

I walk through the doors of the Cafeteria, and my smile turns immediately upside down. Their faces...you can see how hard last night was for them. The energetic Sherry-Anne now has bags under her eyes, Topaz isn't speaking at all, Gabriel's just staring at his Bible, it's just so sad.

"H-Hey. Is everyone okay?" I ask them, which I get looks aimed at me as I stand exposed in the doorway.

"What do you think, imbécile?" Ufelia says as she stirs her smoothie.

"Ufelia, be nice today!" Claus exclaims at his sister!

"Que voulez-vous dire?!" Ufelia says, which I fail to understand completely. Probably something rude again...

"Today's hard Ufelia." he answers more hushed.

"It's hard for everyone."

Rose rises from her seat and walks up to me, her face not exhibiting any strife from yesterday.

"Are you going to be okay Ben?" she asks me, arms crossed and voice hushed so only I could hear her.

"Yeah, I think so."

"I had Julian grab you some food. We have a lot to discuss."

Rose moves back to her seat and I go to mine, next to Julian. But what I wasn't expecting today was...

"Byron?! What are you doing here?!" I ask a little too loudly.

"Nice to see you too Brown." Byron says in the seat across from me.

"Julian, Fatima, what is he doing?" I ask my friends.

"He just sat down. I have no idea why such an ignorant person is here." Fatima says as she eats a spoonful of Frosted Mini Wheat.

"Those words aside, I wanted to talk to you Brown." Byron says, head down.

"There's nothing I wanna say to you Byron."

"Well, let me speak then!" he demands.

Oh hell to the no! Who does he think he is?! This asshole has been tormenting me ever since we got here! Even on the train! And he wants to speak to me now?!

"No. Do you have any idea what it's been like with you making digs at me whenever you had the chance?! I am done Byron! I am done with the abuse, I am done with the tension, and I'm done looking at your fucking-"

"I'm sorry."

...What?

"Say what now?" I say baffled.

"Did you just now say that you are sorry?!" Fatima exclaims, her hand over her mouth in shock.

"I'm....sorry Brown."

"Oh God, you really said it." 

I'm...speechless! After everything's that happened, he decides that he's finally sorry for mistreating me?!

"Why?!" I can't help but ask the actor! 

"Yeah, I'd kinda like to know too. This is weird." Julian agrees, his full attention toward Byron's next words.

"Well, we all could've died last night, and I was made out to be the culprit. Even if that wasn't Jane's intentions." Byron takes a deep breath before he continues with his apology. "But you defended me, when no one else would. So, thank you. And I'm sorry, for everything."

"Byron I-"

"Okay everyone, now that we have everyone here, can we start now Rose?" Monica asks impatiently.

"Monica, have you not noticed?" Patty inquires the edgy girl.

"What do you mean Patty? It looks like everyone's here." Gomez says calmly, his face serene as always.

"We're missing someone."

Are you serious?! I look around panicked and worried, but my anxiety wouldn't let me find the answer! Everything is starting to spin, starting to unravel again! 

"Wait a moment, where is Angela?!" Fatima asks us just as panicked as I am!

I look down at the table, and I notice that Fatima's right. Angela's usual seat is empty! She's missing!

"Everyone, let's split up and search for her. We'll cover more ground that way." Rose orders.

"Yeah, sounds good! Let's move!" Julian commands as he almost leaps out of his seat!

I get this feeling of nervousness washing over me, just like yesterday. What if she's dead?! What if we have to go through another trial?! Does that mean someone else is getting executed?! Does that mean we have to sentence another friend to death?! 

"Benji, let's-"

"Don't worry. I'm right here."

 

I look past Fatima's head and I can't believe my eyes. There's this tall, bald, muscular guy strutting his way over to my table, with a pink tank top, shorts, and Adidas sandals. Who the fuck is this?!

"Excuse me sir. Who are you?" Fatima asks the man. But he just chuckles and sits down in Angela's spot!

"Did you not hear the lady?! Who the hell're you?!" Topaz asks after he doesn't respond to Fatima's question.

The man looks back and forth, confused by the situation. "Oh, you really can't figure it out? Really?"

"Not to be rude," Fatima begins. "but we have not seen anyone like you before."

"Are you serious?" 

We all turn our heads to Patty sitting at the end of her table, blowing on her cup of tea, and as usual, being condescending as hell!

"What does that mean Patty?" Julian questions the rude classmate.

"It's easy to figure out. He just doesn't have his make up on."

Wait, make up? I look back at the man, and connecting the dots slowly. I...I can't believe I didn't even realize!

"Guys, it's Angela!" I tell them, when I finally see the big picture.

Julian, Fatima, and Topaz all snap their heads to take a look at the man, and then another look at each other, and this pattern continued for a couple of seconds until it sinks in.

"Well, I guess I can't blame you for not knowing. I do look a lot different." Angela says understandingly. "Hey guys, I'm Thomas. Thomas Barrowman. It's a pleasure." Angela-I mean, Thomas, puts his hand out for a handshake and Julian at first stares, but then takes his hand and shakes it.

"Happy to see you Thomas!" Julian says to the man before us.

"Why aren't you in drag Thomas?" I ask him, to which his face grows sadder and sadder by the second.

"I'm just not in the mood. Drag's supposed to be fun! Exciting! And, last night showed me how dire this situation really is. Angela can stay where she is right now."

Thomas....Angela...

 

"I don't think so Miss-ter Buchanan!"

 

Out of nowhere, Monokuma shows up like the little prick he is!

"What do you want now munchkin?!" Topaz asks the devilish child.

"Nothing! Nothing at all! I heard that a certain  _tranny_ doesn't wanna be in drag anymore!" Monokuma says playfully.

"Yeah, so?" Thomas asks irritably.

"That is a huge NO! Why would anyone want to look like a foot everyday?! It's so unnatural! You  _must_ be in drag for at least the trials!" Monokuma shouts, throwing a temper tantrum as he does! 

"No. I'm done." Thomas declares.

"Pleeeeeeease?! For little ol' me?!" Monokuma continues to plea, now on his knees in a begging fashion.

"You acting like a brat isn't going to convince me. And more importantly, why does that matter to you? It's my body. Not! Yours!" Thomas kneels down to Monokuma's level and gets right in his face, his own stern and never-changing. "Get over it." Thomas walks away from our Headmaster, I can't help but look between my friends, looking for something to say, anything.

"Oh really...?" I look towards Monokuma who's head is hung low, his fists clenched in an unquestionable anger!

"How ominous of you. What are you up to?" Rose asks the petulant child, arms crossed.

"I tried being nice, but it seems like I have no choice! Ladies and Gentleman! Take a look at your e-Handbooks please! And be amazed, for I will make Miss-ter Buchanan's rights disappear!" Monokuma declares!

All at once we all take out our e-Handbooks, just as two bell sounds echo throughout the Cafeteria. I look at my notifications and see that the Rules have been updated!

 

_**Rule#2: The Headmaster is NOT allowed to directly interfere with their students' lives. However, they CAN make decisions that will help the vanity of the trial, as long as it doesn't physically harm the students.** _

_**.....** _

_**Rule#12: Mr. Thomas Barrowman aka Angela Buchanan must be in their best drag attire for every trial they're a participant in. Failure of this will result in everyone's punishment!** _

_**Rule #13: Rules will be added if need be** _

 

Wait, can he do that?!

"What the hell is this?!" Thomas yells in outrage! 

"Why, it's the new rule! You have no choice but to be in drag for any trials from here on out!" Monokuma announces with maniacal laughter!

"This has to be a joke!" Gabriel says in denial!

"Are you fucking serious?!' Sherry-Anne shouts in disbelief!

"This is not right! You do not own us! Thomas does not deserve this!" Fatima cries, passion overwhelming every sense.

"Oh? But didn't I tell you Miss Mahaseth?! You don't have rights here! So unless you bastards wanna die, I'd suggest making sure Miss-ter Buchanan does what he's told! Understand?!"

"...Yes." Thomas says, defeated, wounded even. God damn you Monokuma...

"Thomas, you don't have to do this!" Patty informs him.

"I have to! What choice do I have?! hat choice do any of us have?!" Thomas exclaims passionately as he looks around the room, tears in his eyes. "You all don't deserve to die just because I don't want to put on a dress, that's idiotic, don't you think?"

No one's saying a word. We're all just looking down, defeated, upset that we can't help our friend out of a fucked up situation. We know it has to be done, but it doesn't mean that we feel good about it! Not at all! Monokuma may have won this battle, but he won't win the war! I'll make sure of that!

"Good! Now that the RuPaul Charles knockoff is under control, I have a second announcement for you!" Monokuma says gleefully, I'm sure because he got his way with Thomas.

"Well can you dépêchez-vous please? This drama is excellent." Ufelia requests, giving not a single damn about what just happened!

"Hey Ufel-A-Bitch, can you shut up?!" Topaz yells at the ballerina.

"Excusez-moi?!" Ufelia looks like she was smacked in the face with a swordfish! About time, in my opinion.

"I second that. Shut up Ufelia." Patty concurs before sipping from her tea cup.

"Hey! Why are you se liguer on Ufelia?!" Claus asks the girls.

"That's not important right now. What's announcement Monokuma?" Rose asks the Headmaster, bringing us back on track.

"Oh yeah! That's right!" Monokuma's ears on his top hat perk up, excited about the news. "Listen up you bastards! And listen good! After every trial, you guys earn a special reward!"

"Is it a way out of this corrupted place? It's most definitely a way out of here, I can sense it." Gomez says with his eyes closed, contented by his own blissful ignorance.

"What?! No! Why would anyone want that?!"

"Oh. I see. Carry on then." Well, that ended fast...

"Any more guesses?! No?! Alright I'll tell you! It's-!"

"A new floor." We all turn to Rose, who's swiping at her e-Handbook, scanning it's contents. "It's a new floor to the school. Isn't that right Monokuma?"

"Why yes Rosemary! It is! What a smart girl you are! Just for that, I'll let you be the leader of your little exploration! Aren't you so overwhelmed with joy?!"

"Yay..." Rose cheers, void of enthusiasm.

"Well! Chop chop you bastards! Time's a' tickin'!"

As Monokuma disappears, I reflect on the words he left us with. A new floor? I wonder what it's gonna be like...

"Okay everyone. Let's begin the investigation of the Second Floor. I'll discuss what I wanted to talk about at Lunch instead of putting of the investigation." 

 

With those words, Rose leaves the Cafeteria to check out the second floor. Everyone else begins to leave, myself included. However, I feel a tug on my arm, pulling me away from the crowd of my peers. Patty pulls me back to our tables silently so no one notices. It's kinda weird considering she would never normally do this, but it must be urgent, right?

"Patty? What are the hell are you doing? Everyone's probably waiting!" I tell her, confused as to why we're staying behind.

"I know, but I'm worried about something."

"Huh?" Oh, so it  _is_ important! "What's the matter? Did something happen?"

"No, nothing like that." she reassures. "It's Rose."

"Rose? What about her?"

"I don't trust her! I never know what she's thinking and she has so much power over everyone! I'm terrified of what she might do." Patty grips onto my arm, her nails digging into my bare flesh!

I pull my arm away, doing my best to do as little damage to my arm as possible. "Are...Are you serious right now?!"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

I can feel my eyes widening in rage! The fucking gall...! "You haven't liked her from the very beginning Patty! And _now_ you choose not to trust her? After a murder happened?!" 

"B-But-!"

"Literally _everyone else_ trusts her! She would never do that! Just because you don't trust her doesn't mean we can't." I begin to walk away, but Patty just has to keep on going!

"T-That's exactly what she wants you to do! Let your guard down! And then she'll snap your neck like the lifeless bitch she is! How can you  _not_ see this?!" Patty begs, pleads for me to see her point-of-view, but I just leave her to her insane accusations. I can't deal with that right now, especially when I have my own issues! Fuck that! Who does she think she is! All she's doing is causing unnecessary paranoia! 

 

I walk out of the Cafeteria and I immediately see that a huge hole is now in the wall far in front of me! What the hell made that?! I can't help but run towards it, to see what the hell happened! My fear disappears as I see a set of stairs inside it, leading up. So, this must be the stairs to the Second Floor, huh? Why it was so well hidden, I don't know, but they're here now I guess. I begin to climb the stairs and once I reach the top, everyone is staring at me, annoyance in their faces!

"Benji, where have you been?! We were worried sick!" Julian tells me, fear in his face!

"Correction,  _you_ were worried sick. The rest of us could care less." Ufelia says simply, as if my well-being was but a speck of dust under her foot!

"Ufelia! There's a time and a place for jetant de l'ombre!" Claus tells his sister, but it seems like his words don't phase her in the slightest. 

"Excusez-moi, but don't put words in our mouths Julian. Don't pretend like everyone cares about your chienne."

To that, I see Claus about to react, but Ufelia elbows him in the arm, to keep his mouth shut about whatever awful thing she said. Ugh, she's such a bitch sometimes...

"...Fine." Aw, he looks so discouraged right now! Why does Ufelia have to be so mean?!

"God damn, you're such a vindictive cunt, huh?!" Topaz just blurts out of nowhere! 

"Topaz! Watch your language! You can say it with more class!" Fatima disciplines the farmer.

"Why should I?! She should be more understanding of others' feelings! The world doesn't revolve around that ugly duckling!"

"Ugly duckling?!" Ufelia looks as if she was just stabbed in the heart! Her vanity means that much to her...?

Actually, while they're fighting, I can look at what the Second Floor looks like! I take in my surroundings and I immediately understand the theme. The Second Floor is the Valentine's Day Floor; the walls were bright pink to contrast the red cartoon hearts and cartoon Baby Cupids along the walls. A large stone fountain was right in the center of the main area of the Second Floor, two Cupids aiming their bow and arrows at something while water came out of their...yeah, those. So, needless to say, this is the Valentine's Day Floor. I hear Rose's voice and my thoughts are pulled back to everyone, who are now quieter for some reason.

"Quiet everyone. We're still missing someone." 

"Huh? Who?" Gomez asks our leader.

"Where's Patty?"

I turn around and realize that Patty isn't back from the First Floor! Why didn't she follow me...?

"Interesting, wasn't she just at breakfast?" Gabriel asks out loud.

"Yeah, she was. She defended me, remember?" Thomas reminds us, his face still wounded by the latest update.

"Oh, so Ben killed Patty right? That's the only explanation I see." Gomez says, his face content even though he just accused me of murder!

"What the hell?! I didn't kill anyone!" 

"I'm not dead." 

Patty slowly climbs the stairs, her heels in her hands and her feet in direct contact with the stone steps.

"Gomez! Don't do that!" Monica demands as she slaps Gomez's arm in disbelief!

"Sorry, I thought he did. Don't forget what happened to Byron when we all got here. He's very capable."

"Wow, how nice of you to bring it up." Byron says, arms crossed to reflect his sarcasm.

"My apologies Ben, but it was a possibility, especially now."

"I'm quite offended that you think he could kill me at all. Do you think I'm that weak?" Patty asks the masseur. Does she not think I'd be offended by that?!

"You never know Patty. Anything's possible here." Geez, I thought Gomez was cool too...

"Rose, can we just go?! All this drama's driving me crazy!" Sherry-Anne asks, no scratch that, demanded from the girl scout.

"I agree, resolve your petty drama when we don't have a job to do." Rose orders and everyone shuts up and have their eyes planted on her.

Oh yeah, the Second Floor...

"Now, based on the map we've received, I've split us up into two groups, Group One consists of Gomez, Monica, Sherry-Anne, Thomas, Claus, and Ufelia and will search the other side of the floor after the School Store. Group Two consists of Patty, Fatima, Gabriel, and Topaz who will search this side of the floor."

"Wait, what about the four of you? What are  _you_ gonna do?" Patty asks with a whoooooole lot of attitude.

"Well Patty, I was getting to that, if you can have some patience. Myself, Julian, Byron, and Ben will serve as chaperones that will be assigned a side of the Second Floor. We will look in every room on our side to make sure that everything is taken under account. We can't have what happened last time happen again. Will that suffice Patty?"

"...Yes. It does."

Oh my god, Rose has some sass in her?! And the way Patty just submitted like that?! Get her Rose! Get her! I can't help but crack a smile at Rose's comments, which I immediately regret now that Patty saw it and is shooting daggers at me! 

"Okay, everyone. Let's get started. Stay in pairs, just like last time. Julian, Ben, Byron, and I will investigate the School Store and the Storage Room first since they're not on either side. Does everyone understand?"

 

Everyone splits off into pairs and go to their designated sides, leaving us four left over.

"Okay boys, let's go." Rose commands.

"Alright." Julian says as he follows suit, with Byron and myself quickly following.

The School Store completely contrasted the colors outside the store: yellows, oranges, and blues! Colors that don't go together at all!

"Geez, could you pick a more disgusting color palette for a store?" Byron complains, expressing my exact thoughts.

"I know right?" I agree.

"How rude! I chose these colors if you want to know!" 

Monokuma appears from behind the cash register at the front desk, wearing a work apron and a name tag along with his typical top hat.

"Now it makes sense, huh?" I say out loud.

"Hmph! Anyways, there no use looking in here! Take a look!"

Monokuma points to a plaque behind the cash register and I begin to read it: 

 

**_MONOKUMA'S SCHOOL STORE_ **

**_POLICIES_ **

**_None of the items purchased here are allowed to be in any part of a murder._ **

**_If it is used, the blackened is immediately executed without trial!_ **

**_-Headmaster Monokuma_ **

 

"See?! So even if you investigate the entire store, no one can actually use anything to commit a murder!" Monokuma cheered!

"Then, can you tell us what we can get here?" Julian asked.

"Of course I can! Anything for a potential customer! You can buy toys, food, clothes, books, utensils, paper, shoes, jewelry, anything! And they're one of a kind! Which means, you'll never find them in the storage rooms! Isn't that amazing?!" 

"Oh boy, I'm filled with so much excitement..." Byron states sarcastically, his eyes rolling in the back of his head.

"Can we go now?" I ask everyone and the nod their heads and begin to follow me out the store.

"WAIT!" Monokuma yells, immediately catching our attention!

"What?! What do you want?!" Julian asks the annoying Headmaster!

"Don't you wanna know about the currency system for the store?! It's important!" 

"Fine. Explain." Rose tells him, her voice annoyed but her face remaining emotionless.

"Thank you! Now, after each Class Trial, each student will receive a handsome reward for surviving! $10,000 to be exact!"

"What?!" I can't help but exclaim! $10,000?! "That's a lot of money!"

"Don't worry, you won't have it for long. Look at the prices in here." Byron said as he lifts up a large candle which was-

"$1000?! This candle is worth $1000?!" Julian yells at our Headmaster, and can I blame him?! No!

"What?! It's a rare and exotic candle! One of a kind!" Monokuma explains.

"It's Fresh Linens. How rare indeed..." Byron tells us.

"Do we have our reward now?" Rose asks, ignoring the ridiculously priced candle.

"Why yes! You do! There's a new app with a money sign just for your in-game currency!"

Wait, "in-game"...?

"So, we can't keep the money?! After this is over?!" I realize and Byron and Julian look at our Headmaster in pain as well!

"Of course not! It's  _my_ money! Why would I let you keep it?! Who do you think I am?! Anyways, ta ta for now!" Aaaand he's game again. Great.

 

We all leave the School Store when Monokuma left us, and we head to the Storage Room, only for it to be an exact replica of the one on the First Floor!

"Well, at least Monokuma wasn't lying about the School Store stuff being different from the Storage Room stuff."

"Yeah, but are the prices really worth it?" I ask him.

"Well it depends on what you're spending it on. Or  _who_ you're spending it on..." Julian says with a smile in my direction.

I can feel my face turning bright red as I try to hide it, but I can see Julian's bright face turning to one of concern as he looks down at my body.

"What happened to your arm?!" Julian asks as he takes my right arm to look at it more.

Aw shit! I forgot all about that! What am I gonna say?! That Patty did it?! That's just gonna make her a black sheep! She doesn't trust anyone, but she apparently trusted me enough to tell me her unwarranted concerns about Rose, but still! I can't do that to someone!

"I-I must have done it on accident. Sorry..." 

"Well, there's an Infirmary on this floor, so you can go on that side. Do you know how to do that by yourself?" Rose asks me.

"Uh, no? No really..."

"So, we'll need someone to help you then." Rose deduces.

"I'll go with him." When I look over, it's Byron who volunteered to go with me! First he apologizes and now he's doing something nice?! What's his deal?!

"Wait, but-"

"Do  _you_ have any medical expertise Julian? Because I do. A multitude of experience, in fact." Byron says, interrupting Julian!

"No, but-!" 

"Then it's settled, right Rose?" 

"Yes. It is." Rose replies, letting Byron take me to the Infirmary!

"Rose, are you serious?!" Julian asks the girl, as if she was mad for allowing it!

"You'll be fine. It's just for an hour or so. And I wanted to investigate the other side anyways, so I wasn't going where the Infirmary is to begin with."

"Julian, I'll be fine. Don't worry, okay?" I reassure my friend.

"...Fine. But if you need me-"

"I'll come and get you. I promise." I say, finishing Julian's sentence. Suddenly, Julian hugs me tightly, as if it's the last time we'll see each other. I can see why he'd think that, I guess, but I'd rather not think I'm gonna get killed as soon as I leave his side, you know.

 

Julian and Rose leave me and Byron and the two of us head to the Infirmary. I don't know why, but my nerves are getting worse and worse with each step I take, like when someone tries to undo a knot but makes it worse. I look over at Byron and he's on his e-Handbook and scrolling through something, a slight reflection showing on his glasses.

"What are you looking at?" I ask him, my curiosity getting the better of me.

"None of your concern Brown." Byron tells me coldly.

"Fine, sorry! Forget I asked!" I say loudly as I speed ahead of him. Like really?! After you he just apologized he goes back to the way he was?!

"Wait. Wait, hold on."

Before I reach the doors, I turn around to see Byron offering me his e-Handbook. He looks annoyed having to show me what he was looking at before, but I don't care. I walk back towards him and look at the screen he's showing me.

"The Second Floor?" I ask the actor.

"We have to know what we're in for, especially here. I don't want to be blindsided."

"Yeah..." So, despite everything, he's still in survival mode? Can't blame him, but doesn't it get tiring after a while? Always surviving and never living?

"Also, we're in luck. Rose chose the side with more rooms to investigate. Of course she'd choose more work over relaxation, so we should be done in no time." Byron said smugly, as if he himself was taking advantage of Rose's work ethic.

"Well, it's gonna take a little bit longer for us. You know, because of my arm." I remind the taller guy, who's still looking at his e-Handbook.

"That's why we're going to investigate the Infirmary first. I'll patch your arm and then we'll look around." Byron holds open the door, looking at me expectantly. "Well? Let's go Brown!"

"Sorry! Geez, I'm coming!" I speed-walk past Byron into the corridor and I hear the door slam behind me, telling me that Byron was a short distance behind me.

 

When walking down the hallway, I see a set of double doors to my right. Both with red crosses on them! That means...

"Oh! This must be-!"

"The Infirmary. Good, let's get this out of the way then." Byron said to himself, but loud enough for me to hear the annoyance in his voice. If I was such a nuisance, then why help me at all?

We both open one of the doors and walk inside the Infirmary, and I immediately take it all in; the sanitary smell, the pristine white and pale pink interior, and the pale fluorescent lights hanging from the ceiling. 

"Why does this look so...professional?" I ask the actor, his back facing me.

"I don't have the slightest clue. This place is better than I thought it was gonna be. Let's be grateful none-the-less, I guess."

Byron begins searching around the room and I follow suit. I look at the glass shelves lining one side of the room with various bottles and containers.

"Well, we may have a problem here."

I look at Byron, who is now next to me, analyzing the contents of a brown, glass bottle he's holding.

"What do you mean?" I ask in curiosity.

He showed me the bottle and I read the label to myself:

 

**_APHRODITE'S SPECIAL POSION_ **

**_Are you feeling literally love sick?! Are you SO over the lovey-dovey people full of hope around you?!_ **

**_Then we've got the solution for you!_ **

**_APHRODITE'S POISON will make sure you love to kill anything to do with love!_ **

**_Guaranteed!_ **

**_This poison is extremely lethal once injected into the blood stream!_ **

**_Any other way will result in failure! So make sure you have your handy dandy syringes!_ **

**_It will take approximately one hour for the poison to kill a human being, but there is room for error depending on the body type!_ **

**_SYMPTOM'S include: dilated pupils, abnormal heart rate, loss of balance_ **

**_Enjoy!- Aphrodite, Goddess of Love_ **

 

 

"For some reason, I don't think Aphrodite wrote this..." I say after reading the bottle, baffled by the camp language inscribed.

"Not only that, but that's every bottle on the left side of the shelves. The right side, however are the disinfectants." Byron pointed out, and once I examined the shelves, I realized that he was right! And not only that, but it's all the same brand too! All the poisons are Aphrodite's Poison and the disinfectants all say St. Valentine on the front with no negative side effects. 

Strange...

Near the shelves were sets of metallic desks that were pushed together to form one large desk, each individual desk with three drawers. I open the first two drawers to find boxes of latex gloves and band-aids in the first, and gauze, medical bandages, and medical tape in the second. But, in the third drawer, were the dangerous items: scalpels, syringes, sewing needles and string, and even a staple gun!

"Did you find anything Brown?"

I turn around to Byron walking towards me as he pushes his glasses to a secure place on the bridge of his nose.

"I found a lot actually. Take a look." I tell him and he obliges, kneeling in front of the segments in the large desk. He takes a good minute to thoroughly examine the drawer's contents before standing back up.

"I understand why everything's in here, except for the staple gun. That's an odd choice." Byron says this all with one of his arms supporting the other as he rubs his hairless chin.

"It's probably Monokuma giving us 'inspiration'" I tell him using air quotes to further emphasize "inspiration".

"Yes, I suppose you're right. Let's continue then." 

"O-Okay..." He actually said I was right?! Like, he actually admitted it?! Wow, today is a weirder day than normal...

The only thing left on the side with the drawers and the shelves is a scale used for weighing people, so I move to the other side which had three stations, all with an exam table and baby blue privacy curtains separating them. Each station also has an IV stand with two IV packets already hooked on them.

"Okay, so each station has the same things in them. An exam table, and IV stands near them with curtains separating each station." I say loud enough for Byron to hear, who nods in approval out the corner of my eye. Since he was looking at something I decide to look at it too.

"What 'cha looking at?" I ask the actor, who was kneeling down in front of a white box.

"It's a mini fridge, full of blood packs and IV packs. How considerate." Byron says sarcastically as he gets up out of his earlier position. "There's also chairs here too, along the wall."

Byron points out the lounge chairs next to the mini fridge, which don't really look that uncomfortable, in my opinion. In fact, I'm even tempted to steal one for myself! You can't go wrong with a good chair to relax in!

"Brown, I need you to grab a bottle of the disinfectant while I grab bandages. Are you capable of that?"

"No, I'm not. In fact, I'm not capable of anything. I'm actually a paraplegic and I'm moving based on pure willpower alone." I tell the actor sarcastically as I grab the disinfectant and hand it to him.

Byron grabs the bottle and looks at me with a condescending glint in his eye. "Oh, now it all makes sense." 

Oh this bitch! I can't help but scoff at him! This shady ass!

"Come. Take a seat." 

Byron pats one of the exam tables as he prepares the disinfectant and the bandages. I take my seat as Byron puts on gloves and wets a gauze pad with the disinfectant.

"Which arm was it again?" he asks, the gauze ready in his hand.

"Oh, this one." I hold out my right forearm so he can get better access to the wound Patty gave me, not that he knows that it was her, but that's beside the point.

"So Brown, how did you get this again?" Byron asks me, his eyebrow raised.

"Oh, uh, I don't actually know. I must have done it to myself. You know, nerves."

"Interesting." Byron finishes cleaning the cuts and begins to wrap it. "You know, I always find that, in acting, you can tell when a play's gonna flop if there are too many things that doesn't make sense. And it doesn't matter what it is, how tiny the detail, you can always find a fault in anything. Do you know what I mean Brown?"

"Y-Yeah..." Why the hell do I feel like I'm being interrogated? 

"So, would you mind telling me how you got these cuts again?"

Oh god he knows! He actually knows!

"Wh-What do you mean?" I say, unable to hide my nerves.

"It's quite simple Brown. You couldn't have done this to yourself. Do you want to know why?" he asks, finishing up the bandaging.

"...Why?"

"Because," Byron flips my hands around. "you don't have nails."

Wait, what?!

"Also, your left hand, which would've been the hand to cut you, has no blood on those stubs you call nails. So, again, you didn't cut your own arm. Someone else did."

I rip my hands away from him as I begin to panic over the truth being revealed! How the hell didn't I realize that?! What the fuck am I gonna say now?! He's already caught me in one lie, what's stopping him from catching me in another?!

"So I'm gonna ask for a third time, who did this to you? And answer with the truth this time."

I swallow my saliva out of pressure and nervousness, but I still can't find it in myself to tell him it was Patty. But what can I do...?

"..."

"Okay Brown, I see you won't tell me." Byron says to me as he heads for the door. "But I wonder if you'll tell Julian..."

"No! Wait! He can't know about this!" I exclaim out of fear, afraid of how Julian would react!

"Then, for the last time! Tell me who did it or I'll tell Julian and he'll take care of them!"

"...It was Patty. Patty dug her nails into me." I concede, my head low in shame.

"Just as I thought. That's why you two were late for the investigation, right?" Byron asks me, arms crossed confidently.

"Yeah, she wanted to talk about something and we was...scared. She gripped to my arm really hard and that must have been when she cut me." I rub my bandages, remembering the look in her eyes, the pure fear I saw in them was...unimaginable.

"Hm, interesting. What was she so afraid of?" 

Well, there's no use keeping things from him, is there? Especially since he can tell if I'm lying... "For some reason, Rose."

"What? Why Rose?" Well that definitely caught his attention!

"She was worried that Rose would kill someone. I called her out on her bullshit after she said that, especially since her and Rose don't get along. After that, I left."

"Huh." Byron shoves his hands in his pockets and moves towards the doors. "Well, let's check the other rooms out. We've spent a lot of time trying to drill you for information."

"Oh, okay..."

Hey, wait a second!

"Hey! Did you only volunteer to come with me to find out what happened?!" 

"Yes. Is there a problem with that?" Byron says nonchalantly! Is he serious right now?!

"Yes! There is! I'm not some bag full of info for you! I'm a human being!" I can feel my face getting more and more red by the second! The fucking gall! The absolute fucking gall!

"Would you rather have had to tell Julian, who would do anything to protect you? Or perhaps Rose, who already doesn't like Patty and vice versa? I was your best option. Recognize it and deal with it."

Byron leaves me alone in the Infirmary to soak the harsh reality in. Damn it! I hate that he's right! That smug bastard knew I'd have to deal with it! He knew I'd never tell Julian or Rose! And of course he cornered me so I'd have to tell him! Fuck him! Really, vote him off the island!

"Asshole." I mutter under my breath before following him out the door to investigate the rest of our side.

 

Byron and I leave the Infirmary and we walk to a room with two humongous windows just down the hall! I look inside one of the windows and I immediately what room I'm looking into based off of the walls covered by bookshelves!

"A Library!" I exclaim in excitement! 

I can feel Byron jolt in surprise next to me and he's wearing a face that clearly says "What the fuck are you doing?!", judging by how construed, yet stern it looks. But he isn't the only one; in the window, Fatima and Patty step into the window with shocked faces and completely frozen from what they were doing beforehand! Embarrassed and uncomfortable, I quickly rush into the Library before they stare at me some more!

"Benjamin, are you...alright?" Fatima asks me, concern across her face.

"Y-Yeah, sorry! I was just...excited..." I say sheepishly, my embarrassment ever lingering.

"I'd say. I didn't know you liked books so much Ben." Patty adds as she sits in a lounge chair facing me.

"Oh y-yeah. It's my favorite hobby."

"Why's that?" I hear Byron say as he walks behind me, just joining our conversation.

"I have a lot of time on my hands back home, so I thought why not?" I say simply.

"Oh, very well." the actor says, accepting my simple answer. "Anyways ladies, what did you find?"

"Well Ben," Fatima turns towards me to ignore Byron, "Patty and I found nothing of importance here in the Library."

"Yeah, there's just the books and bookcases, the tables and the lounge area with couches and chairs." Patty adds after Fatima finishes.

"I have to say, sitting on one of the pieces of furniture is like sitting on a cloud of pure delight!" Fatima says with the happiest expression I've seen her have since we've gotten here! They must be really good chairs then! I should try them sometime!

"I'm not sure about the 'cloud' part, but they're really comfortable." Patty says in response to Fatima's claim.

"Well, I've had enough of this foolishness. I'm gonna look around. Brown, come." Byron commands as he leaves us to investigate the rest of the Library.

"Okay. I'll talk to you guys later!" I tell the girls before I begin to coo-berate their findings.

The Library's walls are a deep blood red that allows the brown, wooden bookshelves to really be seen on the wall facing the entrance. I notice that each shelf has a different genre of books, like science fiction, fiction, nonfiction, bildungsroman, autobiography, every genre you can think of! I can't wait to dive into this collection! I haven't read a book ever since I've gotten here! Directly across from the bookshelves are a couple of wooden tables, probably used to be for doing homework and stuff, but now, they're collecting dust. Shame too, they're very sturdy tables too. What I've been waiting for, however, are the chairs and the couch! They're this midnight-black-colored chairs made of velvet material, like medieval gowns, but better! I immediately take a seat in one of the chairs and I recognize something immediately...

"They're swivel chairs?!" I ask Fatima, failing to control my inner child!

"Yes! They are! Try it!" she obliges!

I put a foot down and one foot almost in a criss-cross position in the chair, but I push hard with my foot on the ground and complete the criss-crossed leg position as I spin! This is honestly the best thing ever! I could literally live on this chair for the rest of my life! Food? Water? What are those?! 

"Brown! Enough of this foolishness! Let's go!"

Byron's command takes me out of my playtime and I stop spinning immediately to get back to work. I walk up to Byron, Fatima, and Patty as I'm about to leave with Byron as we say our goodbyes.

"Well, everything you said checks out. Pleasure doing business with you ladies." Byron says as he puts out his hand toward Patty for a handshake.

"The displeasure, is all mine." Patty says begrudgingly as she accepts his handshake.

"Patty." I tell her pleadingly, not wanting to start any drama. She's done enough today anyways.

"That's quite alright Brown. I don't need defending. Let's go." Byron says as he leaves the Library. 

"That was uncalled for guys." I tell the girls as I chase after Byron. When I look through the window a final time, I see Fatima with regret across her face, but Patty looks like she usually does. Like a stone cold bitch.

 

I chase after Byron, who's still walking down the hallway towards wherever our next destination is. I'm literally sprinting just to catch up with him, it's crazy!

"Hey, I'm sorry about Fatima." I tell the actor when I finally catch up with him.

"It's fine. I'm used to it. What's important is what I found."

Wait, what does that mean?

"Wait, you found something they didn't?" I ask him, my curiosity peaking substantially.

"It doesn't relate to the Library, it's about your altercation with Patty." he answers.

"Oh really? What did you find?"

"Her nails didn't have blood on them, which means she must have washed them." he points out, rubbing his chin in thought.

"She did? I didn't even notice. Did you see them when you shook her hand?" 

"Yes, exactly. That's why I offered my hand anyways." Oh shit, he's smarter than I thought! How perceptive of him!

I think for a second, really questioning everything about my conflict with Patty, but I can only come up with one resolute question. "Do you think she did that to hide anything to do with hurting my arm?" 

"That's exactly what I think. She's a crafty little one. She figured you'd tell someone and she didn't want to risk any evidence being on her. A mind of a murderer, I'd say."

Honestly, I can't blame him for thinking that, but it doesn't make me feel any less worried about our future here. Not at all.

"Well, let's hope not. I don't want another Class Trial. I can't go through that again..." I say in an attempt to quell his concerns, but knowing it wouldn't do much.

"We'll see Brown. We'll see..."

I don't even want to think that another Class Trial could happen, but if something's not done about the paranoia in the group, then it's gonna be inevitable! I know we'll think of something, but let;s hope it won't be too late to save everyone from each other. We have to keep hope alive! Hope that we'll be saved, hope that we can survive and live in our late friends' names! For Rhys and for Jane! But we have to work together, that's the only way we'll see our homes again. The ONLY way.

 

Just as Byron and I are gonna investigate some more, I see Topaz and Gabriel leaving a room down the hall. Curious as to what they found, I walk up to them with Byron shortly behind me.

"Hey guys! How's the investigation going?" I ask the duo.

"Hey Ben. Not very well, I'm afraid." Gabriel announces, a disappointed tone in his voice.

"Oh? Why's that?" Byron asks the priest, eyebrow raised.

"'Cause the  _asshat_ over here wanted to be 'thorough'! Eventhough it was obvious from the very beginnin' we weren't gonna find shit!" Topaz exclaims, frustrated beyond belief!

"Topaz! Such vulgar language!" Gabriel cries in embarrassment, pained by the girl's crude manners.

"What do you mean?" I ask her. "Isn't that what you're supposed to be doing?"

"All these rooms are exactly the same! They're these basic ass classrooms with nothin' in them!" she answers, outraged by all the wasted time, I'm sure.

"She's over-exaggerating Ben. There's student desks, a teacher's desk, chairs, a whiteboard with a box of dry erase markers, and a trash can. But that's it." Gabe clarified.

"Oh, okay. Thanks Gabe!" I tell the shy priest.

"Happy to help any way I can!" he replies, his usual shy demeanor getting overshadowed by his confidence.

"Hey what about me?! I helped too! Thank me!" Topaz whines, feeling rejected.

"And why should we do that?" Byron inputs, arms crossed like he's ready to fight!

"I'll tell you exactly why! If you don't, I'll shove my cowboy boots square up your ass! Past the stick that's already made your flat ass it's home!" Topaz fired, her line of sights on Byron!

"I'd like to see you try, you country bumpkin."

"You sickly bitch!" 

"Ghetto trash."

"Privileged puck ass!"

"Nappy-headed joke."

"Oh that's it!" Topaz screams as she rolls up her sleeves!

Oh god, I have to do something! Before it gets out of hand!

"Hey! Enough!" I order, stepping between Topaz and Byron before the fight got physical! The two stop their assault, but still giving each other daggers as they walk away from each other. Honestly, better that than actual daggers being thrown, I'd say. "Byron, why don't you check the Classrooms to make sure they didn't miss anything while the three of us check the other rooms. Okay?"

"...Fine. But there's only one more room down this hall, so I'll see you in there." the actor conceded as he goes into the First Classroom.

"Ben! Why're you defending him! You're not friends with him now, are ya?!" Topaz asks, skepticism in her voice and her body language, judging from her hands on her hips.

"I'd rather not have anymore chaos, if that's okay. Can we just go to the last room? Please?"

"Benjamin! Wait!"

Running down the hallway was Fatima and Patty, who took off her high heels to try and catch up to the fast humanitarian! They catch up to the three of us and Patty's completely out of breath while Fatima just adjusts herself to fit her lady-like persona.

"Hello Fatima. Patty. What are you doing here?" Gabe asks the two girls.

"We completed our investigation of the Library and thought we would offer our assistance." Fatima explains. "The Garden  _is_ the biggest r-"

"Wait!" Topaz exclaims suddenly! "Did you just say 'Garden'?!"

"Yes! I look at the-"

And just like that, Topaz disappeared from our circle like Houdini! I can hear the quick patter of feet as she runs in the direction of the last room and it ends when I hear a door open and close!

"Damn, that was fast." I say to myself, amazed at the obese girl's speed.

"Yeah, you said it. Impatient much?" Patty adds as she puts her heels back on.

"She's just excited Patty. At least she has something to be excited for, you know?" Gabriel explains, and understanding tone in his voice, wise beyond his years almost.

"I guess. Let's just go, I hate just standing here doing nothing all day." 

Patty walks away with some pep in her step with everyone following her, except for myself, who stays behind to check on Byron. I check the Classrooms until I find the actor in the very last room I check. Of course right? It just had to be the last one I check, right?

"Hey, everyone's already at the Garden. You coming?" I ask him.

"I'm surprised you didn't go with them." Byron says simply, still looking through the Teacher's Desk in front of the whiteboard.

"Well, I waited for you so you wouldn't be alone."

"You didn't have to wait for me. I'm very capable of handling myself." 

"Oh, okay then..." I say deflated. Honestly, this is getting tiresome. He should just pick a mood and roll with it, not be nice and rude when he chooses to be!

"God Brown, you don't have to look like a wounded puppy about it. I'm like that with everyone, it's not just you." Byron clarifies. "Anyways, I'm done here, so we can go meet up with everyone in the Garden."

Just now, there was something in his voice when he said that. It almost sounded like...like there's more to Byron than meets the eye. Or the ears when he opens his mouth. Byron St. James is a fucking enigma, that's for sure.

 

The two of us get to the doors to the Garden, and when I open them, I couldn't believe my eyes! There's a huge fucking tree right in the middle of the entire Garden! It literally reaches towards the glass dome used for the roof! While looking at the tree, I notice that Gabriel, Fatima, and Patty are all in the tree just laughing and having a good time while Topaz is standing at the base of it near a tire swing.

"Hey guys! How the hell did you get up there?!" I ask as I walk towards them, hopefully loud enough so they can hear me.

"Hi Ben! Come on up! There's plenty of room!" Patty suggest, which is pretty tempting honestly.

"I'm gonna look around. Try and investigate a little too Brown." Byron tells me as he begins his own investigation of the Garden.

I look up at the tree, unsure of whether or not I could even attempt to climb it myself! But apparently, I'm not the only one. Topaz isn't in the tree either, but at least I have someone to talk to! That's a plus!

"Topaz, you didn't wanna go with everyone else?" I ask the farmer, who was the only one not in the tree.

"Nah, it ai'nt my thang! I'm just holdin' Patty's shoes until she decides to get down!" Topaz twirls the silver stilettos with a large, childish grin. Mischievous, I'm certain.  "Besides, I was more than happy to investigate in here!"

"Oh really? What did you find so far?"

"Well, besides the gargantuan tree in the middle of it, there's a lotta shit in here! I'm personally excited for the soil plots I can start growin' my genuine crops in! There were already stuff growin' here, like carrots, cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, and lettuce, but they're all probably shittier than shit! My stuff is way better than the generic crops people tend to grow!"

"Oh cool! I can't wait to see what you come up with!" I say, my mouth beginning to water at the possibilities the Ultimate Farmer could come up with! I'm sure she's a freaking genius when it comes to stuff like that!

"Yeah! And I have a huge selection too! There's a shelf over there with a whole bunch'a different seeds in packets! Even stuff I've never heard of!" Topaz exclaims as her eyes begin to light up in excitement! 

"That's great! What else did you find?" 

"Well, there's also stone walkways surrounding each soil plot, so people can walk in here without gettin' their shoes dirty!" Topaz points out as she holds up Patty's shoes in judgment. Do I blame her? No, not really. Patty's really fucking vain, even for a normal human being. "Also, there's vines all along every inch of the walls here! There's other stuff, but you're gonna have to follow me!" 

Topaz leads me to a good-sized, wooden shack in the corner of the room. She opens the door and I can feel my allergies instantly flare up from the dust! I begin to sneeze so may times that I don't even know what the if I'll survive it! Allergies suck, honestly, they do!

"Damn Ben! You sound like Pearl when she gets a huge whiff of my paprika powder made from the the my very own chili peppers!" Topaz cries, amazed at my rapid fire sneezing.

"Sorry, my allergies are pretty bad." I say, sniffling the mucus out of my nose. "Wait, who's Pearl?"

"Oh, just one of my six sisters! She's the third oldest! But that don't matter right now! Are you gonna be okay in the Tool Shed?" she asks, revealing that it is, indeed, a Tool Shed.

"Yeah, I'll be fine for now. Just tell me what you found so we can get out of here faster? I'd really appreciate it." I ask the girl.

"Of course Ben! No problem! There's a lot in here, are you gonna remember it?" 

"If I don't, I'm sure Byron's got it all down in his notes." I assure her, confident that Byron's thoroughness would save the day for me.

"Alright then! Here goes! There's a lot of tools in here used for gardening! There's gardening pots for individual use, watering cans, pairs of gloves, a saw, a hoe, a pair of shovels, a pair of gardening rakes, gardening shears, a lawn mower, a wed whacker, and insecticide for those pesky bugs! There's also an air pump, probably for the tire swing on the tree, but besides that, that's everythin' I found in here!"

"Geez, that's a lot."

"I know! But don't 'cha worry 'bout a thang Ben! They're all fairly simple to use! I should know!" Topaz says in an attempt to sooth my fears, a cheeky grin planted across her face.

That wasn't my concern, but okay Topaz...

Topaz and I finally leave the Tool Shed and walk towards the Huge Tree, the three we left behind still having fun in the branches and leaves!

"You guys are still up there?!" I ask the trio, baffled by their energy!

"Yes! Benjamin! Come up! It is so much fun!" Fatima suggests, like Patty did before the investigation.

"I don't even know how the hell you got up there! How on Earth would I even  _start_ getting up there!"

"That's easy Ben! Gabe! Tell him!" Patty orders the priest.

"I was planning on that Patty, if you just waited a single second longer." Gabe insists, a holier-than-thou attitude clear in his voice.

"Sure Jan. Sure." Patty claps back, flipping her hair and side eyeing as she adjusts her tiara.

"Anyways Ben! Just climb the tire swing! You'll be fine! Trust me!" Gabriel says, knowing that I'd be a little skeptical of the dangerous method of climbing the tree.

Hesitantly, I begin to try and climb the tire swing. Clasping my hands firmly and strongly so I don't slip. But alas, I fall right on my ass! In the dirt surrounding the tree! So, not only am I embarrassed, but now my ass is now dirty too! Great!

"Oh Ben, I'm sorry! Try again!" Gabe cheers, trying to help me overcome my embarrassment.

"No, I think I'm done trying that. But thank you anyways guys!"

"Oh what a shame. Let us get down you two." Fatima suggests to her two friends.

"Yeah, I just feel bad now." Gabe agrees.

"Ugh fine! You guys are no fun!" Patty says, obviously not caring if I went up the tree or not.

I honestly wonder how they're all gonna get down from the tree. There's no branches close enough to the ground to help them and no ladders around to help them down either! So how the hell are they gonna pull this off? Fatima seems to be climbing from branch to branch and Gabe is climbing down the tire swing, the same way he climbed back up, but Patty is just sitting where she's been since I saw her, uneasiness in her face. Both Fatima and Gabriel make it to the ground without a single scratch, thank goodness, but I'm still worried about Patty. How will  _she_ get down? She doesn't have the sports-like strength of Fatima or the dexterity of Gabriel, so this should be interesting...

"Patty! Are you gonna be able to get down?!" Gabe asks the singer.

"Yes, you dolt! Obviously I'll get down! Watch!"

Patty cautiously moves from branch to branch, all while being barefoot, and manages to make it to the tire swing.

"You can do it Patty! We believe in you!" Fatima says, cheering on her friend.

"Yeah girl! You got this!" Topaz joins in with Fatima's cheers.

"I know! I know! I've...got this!" Patty reassures them, but I'm pretty sure she was more-so reassuring herself that she wouldn't die.

Patty takes one step down and immediately loses her grip and falls! 

"Oh God no!" Gabe cries!

"AAAGH!" Fatima screams in terror!

"Patty! No!" Topaz begins to run under to where Patty would probably fall, but trips over one of the roots sticking out of the ground around the tree! I'm frozen stiff as I watch Patty fall to her death! No! Not again! So soon?! Why?! Why now?! And there's nothing I can do about it! I'm so fucking incompetent! I failed another one of my friends! I wasn't able to protect Rhys, Jane, and now Patty too?! Why why why why why why why why why why why why wh-

....

....

"Are we quite done here?"

Byron looks completely unamused as he's holding Patty bridal style, safe and sound! When the fuck did he get there?! He was like lightning!

"B-Byron?!" I exclaim, my disbelief overcoming my ability to talk!

"You...you just saved my life!" Patty says, baffled that the actor would ever save any of them!

"Byron that was amazing!" Gabriel says impressed.

"Yeah, for a skinny white boy you sure did save the day! Good job!" Topaz congratulated Byron on his successful rescue!

"Thank you for saving her Byron. Thank you!" Fatima adds in.

"...Whatever. Brown, I'm done with the investigation, we can go to the Cafeteria now."

Byron drops Patty in the soil and quickly walks away without looking back. Hm, that was strange, I thought he would've said something more offensive, but he's leaving? The four of us help Patty up out of the soil and she puts her shoes on before we go to the Cafeteria together. With Byron way ahead of us, of course, but that's to be expected I guess...

One day, I hope he opens up to someone. Anyone. Maybe then we'll finally get to know the real Byron for who he really is. But for now, we have to settle for the version we have now. No matter how long it takes, I'm sure we can crack his shell. I know it!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! I'm officially back! I'm sorry I've been on such a long hiatus! I had some adult business to take care of, but I'm definitely buckling down and give y'all some quality content! Vote for Free Time Events for anyone you'd love to see more of! I also accept feedback and comments, so do what you like! Thank you! <3


	13. Chapter Two: Blood Runs Thicker Than Friendship PART TWO

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope's Peak Academy heralds the best of the best students from across the nation to gather at one place to hone and enhance their specific talents, igniting the hope of society to see a better and brighter tomorrow behind the smiles and eyes of those chosen to attend. The America Chapter of the academy has just begun to recruit and Benjamin Brown has been chosen as the Senior Class' Ultimate Lucky Student, randomly drawn from a nationwide lottery. To be chosen to attend a prestigious school, he has to be lucky right? Well he thought, until his world was turned upside down as soon as he entered the school. The school where a single bad decision can get you killed, robbing you of the hope that can quell the hunger of despair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I absolutely DO NOT own anything Danganronpa, the rights and the thanks go to Kazutaka Kodaka and Spike Chunsoft. However, I do own every character except for one, which you will see eventually. I own all of the students basically. I hope you enjoy and I do take feedback, so comment to your hearts content!

It didn't take long for everyone to gather in the Cafeteria after we were finished investigating. My group came down first, but soon after, Julian and Rose brought their group down to discuss our findings. As we take our seats, there's an immediate, uneasy silence among the group. Due to not knowing where to begin, I'm sure. Rose clears her throat to grab our attention, all of our heads turning towards the direction of the doors.

"We should go over everything like last time, does that sound good to everyone?" Rose asks, waiting for our input.

"Sounds good to me. But let's do the same thing as last time. Why fix what isn't broken right?" I tell everyone, receiving generally positive feedback.

"Indeed. Very perceptive Benjamin." Gomez adds rubbing his goatee in thought.

"But where do we start? I'm not sure if you noticed, but there's a lot of rooms dude." Monica says, leaning back in her chair, legs crossed on the table.

"I'll start, if you want." Julian volunteers, to get the ball rolling, most likely. "Rose and I looked at the American Room and the French Room, and they're...interesting, to say the least. They both had a bunch of flowers, a bible, and heart-shaped things, like candies and Valentine's Day cards, but that's all they had in common. The American Room had a huge cage full of doves, a jewelry box full of expensive trinkets, brooches, necklaces, rings, all that type of stuff, and weirdest of all, it had an entire restaurant set up, a clothed table, a candelabra, dishes and silverware, and wine glasses with it. And even weirder, it had a full suit in the middle of the room on a mannequin!"

"What the hell?! Why the fuck is all that shit in there?!" Topaz exclaims, shocked by the discovery!

"Well, it made sense after we searched the French Room." Rose pointed out. "The contrasting items found in there was several cases of nonalcoholic champagne, flasks of rosewater, a crate of firewood, and a mannequin dressed like a bride."

"Oh, so the mannequin in the American Room is the Groom and the one in the French Room is the Bride!" Sherry-Anne declared, proud of her deducing skills.

"My, my, how enthousiaste of you Sherry-Anne. May I say, you are the smartest tête d'air I know." Ufelia tells the animal lover, a holier-than-thou attitude radiating off of her very soul.

"Oh, thanks. I try my best, I guess." she replies, unknowing of the shady intentions of the ballerina.

"But, that's not all there was in the French Room. There were...pictures." Rose reveals, turning away from us and reaching for something on the table.

Huh, nothing like peaking my interest. I wonder what these pictures are...

"Pictures, what kind of pictures?" Patty asks suspicious of Rose's discovery.

Rose grabs a manila folder and reveals a black and white picture of herself, almost like a head shot you'd get if you were an aspiring actor in Hollywood.

 

**_Name: Rosemary Pegasus AKA Rose Pegasus_ **

**_Height: 5'8_ **

**_Weight: 149 lbs._ **

**_Ultimate: Girl Scout_ **

**_Skills: Leadership, Outdoors Specialist, Salesman, works well under pressure, callous_ **

**_Weakness: Emotions_**

**_Candidate?: Yes_ **

**_Role: The Leader_**

I...can't fucking believe this shit! Why does the exist?!

"Rose, why is there a picture with your information on it?"  Byron asks the girl scout, eyebrow raised.

"It's not just me, there's also these two as well."

Rose opens the manila folder some more to reveal two more black and white photos. And to my surprise, they're of...

 

**_Name: Rhys Morimoto_ **

**_Height: 5'2_ **

**_Weight: 126 lbs._ **

**_Ultimate:  Mathematician_ **

**_Skills: Math, math related issues, calculated_ **

**_Weakness: Women, Insecurities, Height Deficiency_ **

**_Candidate?: Yes_ **

**_Role: The Womanizer_ **

 

**_Name: Jane Hilton_ **

**_Height: 5'0_ **

**_Weight: 101 lbs._ **

**_Ultimate: Blind Role Model_ **

**_Skills: Human Echo Location_ **

**_Weakness: Speech Impediment, Heightened Fears, Lack of Sight, Unstable Psyche_**

**_Candidate?: Yes_ **

**_Role: The Phobic_ **

 

....

....What the fuck?!

"Rose, what the hell?!" Sherry-Anne asks, a complete dumbfounded look on her face.

"Why are these here?!" Byron asks her, outraged by the development!

"I don't know." Rose answers, looking through the pictures.

"What do you mean? Where's the rest of us?!" 

"Byron, she said she doesn't know! We only found those three, that's all!" Julian says, immediately coming to Rose's defense.

"But you have to admit, if there's info on those three, then there's info on all of us somewhere. Right?" Gabriel asks the group as a whole.

Rose nods her head in agreement before continuing the conversation. "I agree, did anyone else find any pictures on your side Ben?"

"No, nothing. Sorry..."

It makes me think though. Where are the rest of our profiles? There can't be just Rose's, Rhys', and Jane's, right? That wouldn't make any sense!

"So Rose," Patty begins, a smug look across her face. "Why does it say emotions are your weakness?"

"Why do you care Patty?" Rose asks the girl, her voice growing less and less patient.

"Just found it interesting that a robot can feel things too, I guess."

"Guys, does this matter right now? We need to worry about what's on this floor." Thomas reminded everyone.

After Thomas stops the argument in it's tracks, Patty just sips her tea while casting a long stare in Rose's direction. A gesture Rose completely didn't care to combat. I'm glad Rose can keep herself professional like that. I know I wouldn't have handled it well... 

"I do not know about you Thomas, but I am very worried that someone analyzed me. Are you not worried?" Fatima asks the towering man.

"Not really, I'm more concerned about what everyone found, you know? We shouldn't miss any details, especially considering details is what got our friends killed."

"Oh..." Fatima realizes as she hangs her head low in shame.

"He's right, we need to keep our focus." Rose concurs with the man.

"By the way, I call dibs on the Bride Gown. I'll go and grab it later though so it's not a distraction. Go ahead Rose." Thomas adds quickly before handing the conversation back to Rose.

Rose stares blankly at the man before turning to the rest of us. "Who's next?" 

But no one answers, looking between each other for direction. Rose, ever the most inept person, immediately notices our hesitation and takes initiative. "Let's do this then. The Left Side will share first and then the Right Side, sound good? Great, Gomez, you may begin now."

"Oh? Me?" Gomez looks around the room before beginning. "Well, Monica and I searched the Bathrooms and the Statue of Cupid around the corner from the Bathrooms. The Men's Bathroom was very ordinary and there wasn't anything that stood out to me."

"The same goes for the Girl's Bathroom. It's just a pink room with four stalls and two sinks, pretty boring." Monica adds nonchalantly, hands in her sweater pockets.

"But, my friends, the statue is an issue." 

"What do you mean?" I ask, my interest immediately peaking.

"The Statue of Cupid is made of solid stone with a quiver full of arrows and a bow in Cupid's hand. However, the arrows are removable."

"What?!" 

Is he freaking serious?! 

"Yeah! Gomez was looking at the back of the statue and he suddenly pulls out all three of the arrows like it was nothing! So, I tested the bow, just in case, and it wouldn't move an inch dude! And my Power Level was over 9000! Believe me!" Monica states with exaggerated movements to emphasize her struggles.

"So, the arrows can be removed, but not the bow? What's the point of that?" Gabe asks out loud.

"I don't know, but let's be grateful that no one's gonna get an arrow through the chest any time soon." Byron says nonchalantly, unfazed by his morbid attitude.

"Jesus Christ, dark much?" Patty asks the actor, disturbed by the truth in his words.

"We can't be too sure of that. With enough force, you can plunge it deep into a human chest cavity easily with your bare hands." Rose adds to Byron's macabre statement! What the fuck! Why?!

"Oh my God! Stop! Please?!" Patty asks again, obviously grossed out by the duo's morbid behavior!

"Okay, Sherry-Anne, what did you and Thomas find?" Julian asks, deterring us from the talks of death and the macabre.

"No, why us next? Pick Claus and Ufelia!" Sherry-Anne cries due to her lack of motivation.

"Because he asked  _you_. Maybe if you do something to help the group, you wouldn't be pegged as a useless cur." Claus tells the zoologist, his words full of venom.

"Oh Claus! Good job!" Ufelia congratulates her brother.

"She had to learn the truth sometime, right?" he replies as he crosses his arms in pride.

"...Okay, we'll go." Sherry-Anne concedes, sadness in her eyes.

I honestly don't know why the twins have to do that kind of shit to people, it's not okay! Looking proud that they told her those mean things, how can someone feel good about putting others down?!

"Tom and I looked in the closet and the Ballroom. The Closet only had stuff a janitor would use like a mop, a broom, a bucket with sponges, and bottles of bleach. But the Ballroom was something else entirely!"

"Oh, oh, can I talk about it?!" Thomas asks giddy with joy!

"Sure, go ahead!"

"The Ballroom is  _gorgeous_! It's like something out of a Disney movie! Stain glass windows, hardwood floors, a bright, magnificent chandelier, and a red carpet leading to a stage! The whole atmosphere is very regal with the golds and the reds and the creams! I highly recommend!" Thomas finishes and everyone just looks around at each other, unsure of what to say next.

"Okay, we wanted to know what was in the rooms, not a review for Hotel.com." Byron tells the drag queen.

"Oh stop being a hateful little bitch Byron. Claus, Ufelia, go."

The twins looked at each other before Claus stands up and prepares to give the info he's gathered.

"Ufelia and I searched the Band Room and the Orchestra Room. Julian believed it was better for us to search there since there was a lot to cover. We've made an itinerary for both rooms since there's way too much stuff in there to say generally."

Claus gives a paper to Ufelia and she passes it throughout the Cafeteria until all of us get a good look at it. 

 

_**BAND ROOM** _

_**1.  Trumpets** _

_**2\. Music Stands** _

_**3\. Clarinets** _

_**4\. Trombones** _

_**5\. Flutes** _

_**6\. Oboes** _

_**7\. Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone Saxophones** _

_**8\. French Horns** _

_**9\. Percussion Equipment** _

_**10\. Bassoon** _

_**11\. Tubas** _

_**12\. Bartiones** _

_**13\. Podium** _

_**14\. Sheet Music** _

_**15\. Chalk Board** _

_**16\. Box of Chalk** _

_**17\. Chairs** _

_**18\. Valve Oil** _

_**19\. Cork Grease** _

 

 

_**ORCHESTRA ROOM** _

_**1\. Harps** _

_**2\. Violins** _

_**3\. Music Stands** _

_**4\. Violas** _

_**5\. Double Basses** _

_**6\. Cellos** _

_**7\. Acoustic Guitars** _

_**8\. Podium** _

_**9\. Chalk Board** _

_**10\. Box of Chalk** _

_**11\. Sheet Music** _

_**12\. Piano Wires** _

_**13\. Extra String** _

_**14\. Grand Piano** _

_**15\. Resin** _

_**16\. Chairs** _

_**17\. Variety of Bows** _

 

 

"This details everything that's in both rooms, the rooms were as generic as they come, no windows, a dirty blue rug, ugly walls, a trap for dust is all it's good for. Both rooms are connected to each other, but the doors don't close, so we won't have another situation like last time."

"Is...Is that really it? Is that all you two have?" Julian asks the twins, confused by their brief examination.

"Que voulez-vous dire? That is all there was mon cher. If you have a problem with it, then feel free to look yourself, tu fais connard." Ufelia tells him, a smug look on her face.

"Ufelia! Enough!" Claus demands of his sister, offended by what she just said!

"Okay, that's it! Keep your petty shade to yourself you two!" I demand as I point to the twins, baffled by my outburst. "Can we just stay focused for one second?"

"Ben, why don't we go over what our side found? There's nothing else on their side to discuss." Byron suggests, to which I nod my head in agreement.

"I agree, you two can go first then." Rose tells the actor.

"Very well. Ben and I searched everywhere, but our main room was the Infirmary. There were glass shelves lined up against one wall, but there were only two things on them. One was a normal disinfectant while the other was a lethal poison."

"Are-Are you serious?!" Topaz shouts, the echoes reverberating around the entire Cafeteria!

"My, my, what an unfortunate predicament we have ourselves in. Do you have the side effects, my friend?" Gomez asks Byron.

"We didn't bring a bottle with us so-"

"It was called Aphrodite's Poison. The side effects were pupil dilation, abnormal heart rate, and loss of balance. There was a whole description, but that was the only important thing besides the fact that the poison has to be injected into the bloodstream by a syringe. No other way works."

"How...how did you remember all of that?" Byron asks, baffled by the fact I was able to remember such important details.

"I have a good memory, I guess." I answer nonchalantly. 

Byron takes several looks at me before continuing with his analysis of the Infirmary, unsure if what he just witnessed was sheer luck or if it was other-worldly entirely! I'm not lacking talent, you know! I have my strengths, even though I'm not recognized for them...

"Anyways, Ben discovered desks filled with different equipment like latex gloves, band aids, gauze, medical bandages and tape, and more concerning, scalpels, syringes, sewing needles, string, and a staple gun. There's also a scale on the side of the desks, but it's not as important as everything else in the room. There's three exam tables lined against another wall, divided by a curtain. The separate exam stations have an IV stand with two extra IV packets on the stand. But if we run out, there's a mini fridge stocked with IV packets as well as blood bags, so it's not a worry."

"Thank you Byron. We just have to keep an eye on the tools in the drawers. Just in case." Rose says after nodding her head in confirmation and satisfaction.

"You've read my mind completely. Patty go."

"Huh?!" Patty looks like she's about to complain, but the seething look on Byron's face tells her to do the opposite of that. Thank goodness... "Ugh fine! Fatima and I searched the Library and found nothing, is that good enough?"

"No, that is not all! There are lounging chairs and a couch as well. And the chairs are swivel chairs! It is the best part about it!" Fatima says, excited to talk about her grand discovery!

"Nothing else ladies?" Rose asks the duo who both shake their heads. "Well, besides the extensive reading potential, that room is a bit disappointing."

"Why do you say that?" Julian asks her.

"I thought that room would have more in it, that's all." Rose answers, her face unreadable to what she's feeling.

"Gabriel, Topaz, you're up." Byron orders. "And don't take too long, this has already taken too much of everyone's time."

"First of all," Topaz begins, her face changing from calm to angry in a blink of an eye. "You are NOT gonna tell Topaz what to do, ya' bitch! Second of all, you gave us the worst rooms! The Classrooms were literally classrooms in every high school! Basic as all hell!"

"To be more specific and without cursing, there were student desks with chairs, a white board with dry erase markers, a teacher's desk, and a waste bin." Gabe adds to relieve the tension.

"See?! Basic! Fuckin' basic!" 

"Ben, you can explain the Garden, if you don't mind." Byron asks, more politely than I'm used to.

"Oh, sure. No problem at all." I tell him, and I can hear Topaz huffing and puffing over the actor and his rudeness towards her. Why he was so nice to me, I don't know, but I'll take it. "The Garden is the biggest room on the Right Side. It has a dome ceiling made of glass with a huge tree reaching the sky, with a tire swing hanging from one of it's large branches. There are a lot of soil plots too, but they're all surrounded by a stone pathway so anyone can walk and not get dirt on them. Topaz pointed out to me that there are an assortment of seeds for different plants on a shelf on the right side of the room against the wall, as well as a tool shed full of any gardening equipment you could think of!"

"And the fresh produce too! There's a buncha shit growin' in the soil! My favorites are the potatoes, but ya'll know nothin's gonna compare to what I grow!" Topaz says, interrupting my review, but massively proud of her accomplishments.

Byron massages between his brows, obvious frustration all over his face.

"Ben, can you continue telling us things that are, you know, important?" he asks, attempting to quell his anger.

"Uh, yeah. In the tool shed, Topaz and I found clay gardening pots, watering cans, pairs of gloves, a saw, a hoe, a pair of shovels, a pair of gardening rakes, gardening shears, a lawn mower, a weed whacker, an air pump for the tire swing, and a bottle of insecticide. I think that just about covers everything in the Garden right now."

"And with that, every room has been covered. Good work everyone." Rose announces, a nod of approval shortly after.

"Well, it could've gone...worse I suppose." Byron adds, looking at the twins and Topaz, who all arguably contributed little to the discussion.

"Indeed. Although, we still haven't found a way out yet." Gomez says while adjusting the bun in his hair. 

"Jesus Christ, can you say anything less depressing?" Julian asks the masseur, baffled by the boy's words.

"I'm only saying the truth, my friend. In fact, I suggest we have a meditation session to cleanse ourselves and strengthen our resolves."

I can immediately see Topaz react dramatically to his suggestion, completely offended by it. "Meditation?! What kind of-!"

"Topaz, behave." Rose orders the farmer, who complies immediately, though grumbling profanities under her breath. "I actually think this is a great idea."

"Uh, why?" Byron asks her.

"For unity, camaraderie, etcetera. We can do it before dinner tonight. How's that?"

"Don't give us that connerie Rose. It's obvious what you're trying to do."

We all face the source of the voice, a cocky Ufelia walking up to the girl scout with determination and chocked full of attitude!

"Do you have something you'd like to say Ufelia?" Rose asks, the tone of her voice betraying her frustration.

"Oui. This, us getting along, is garbage. Did we not already try this "camaraderie"? To me, it just seems like you want to watch us."

"Why would she do that?" Julian asks, skeptical of Ufelia's performance. 

"To make sure we don't kill each other, tête de viande. Why else?"

"Are you serious right now? Why are you trying to cause this useless drama Ufelia?!" Sherry-Anne asks the girl as she grabs a hold of her wrist.

"Hey! She's not starting anything!" Claus declares as he smacks Sherry-Anne's hand off of his sister's wrist! "And besides, she's right, isn't she?"

"What do you mean Claus?" Gabriel asks the boy.

"Isn't it a little too convenient that she wants us to meet up all together? Just after Jane killed Rhys?"

"I mean, they do have a point..." Patty adds, inputting her unwanted opinion.

"So what? Shouldn't we stick together after witnessing the deaths of our friends?" I step in, trying to make Claus see the error of his and Ufelia's judgment. 

That's when I hear it. A chuckle. It was almost undetectable, but soon, it erupts into maniacal laughter! We all turn our heads towards the source of the noise to see who else? Ufelia, with a crazed look in her eyes, holding her stomach in an attempt to contain her laughter!

"What the fuck?!" Julian blurts out in pure shock!

"U-Ufelia?" Claus asks his sister, cautiously walking towards her.

If Claus is worried, then what the hell is going on?! Did she finally snap under pressure?!

"Oh mon dieu! I have never witnessed such naivete in my life!" Ufelia finally says, her eyes leaking tears of laughter!

"Uh, excuse me?" I ask her, waiting for the bullshit to spew from her mouth.

"We only met a week ago and you truly believe these people are your friends?! How présomptueux! I can't wait to watch your face as your supposed 'friends' die one by one. If they don't kill you first, that is."

"Watch your mouth! Don't talk to Benji that way!" Julian demands, immediately coming to my defense!

"Ufelia! What are you doing?!" Claus asks his sister, his tone undeniable!

"C-Claus..." I utter, a hint of worry and confusion in my voice. He never goes against his sister, so this must have been too far, even for her!

"Yeah, who the fuck do you think you are anyway?!" Monica yells, her red face completely contrasting her typical pale complexion!

"Who do I think I am? Better than you, mon cher. Come Claus! My pores are getting clogged just by being around these inbred fools."

 

Ufelia leaves the Cafeteria after serving her daily dose of venom to us, unfazed by the ruin she caused. Claus follows suit, but not before giving me an apologetic look filled with the utmost regret. I know she's his sister, but why doesn't he tell her when she's wrong?! I don't get it!

"Ben, are you okay?"

I almost jump as I realize that Rose was now sitting on the side of me, her hands on her thighs.

"Yeah, sorry..."

"Benji, don't listen to her. She doesn't know what she's talking about, okay?" Julian reassures me, doing his best to make me feel better.

"He speaks the truth Benjamin. She only said those horrible words to hurt you and the rest of us. I would not take her words for face value." Fatima adds, making sure I know not to believe the ballerina.

"You guys..."

I really do have the greatest friends in the world, don't I? I wouldn't be able to say that if I wasn't chosen in The Raffle! I guess there's a silver lining to everything, huh?

"Now that the drama's all done and over with," Byron begins. "I don't think there's anything further to discuss, right Rose?"

Rose rubs her chin in contemplation, making sure we covered everything we need to. "That's true. Everyone, you may leave now. Thank you for you time, and sorry for the trouble that transpired here today."

"Finally! This was getting  _so_ boring! Time to stretch my legs!" Sherry-Anne exclaims, stretching her long, muscular limbs.

"B-Boring?!" Monica exclaims! "Did you just miss all that crap?!"

"Enough." Rose demands sternly. "Just go about your day."

 

After our meeting, everyone disperses in every direction imaginable. I have enough time before Lunch, so maybe I should use that time to know my classmates better! I see Gomez hanging behind and talking to Rose though, which is pretty strange considering they never talk one-on-one. I wouldn't normally intrude on a conversation like this, but maybe it's important! So with a determined, friendly face, I make my way over to the duo.

"Hey guys, what're you talking about?" I ask, making my presence known to them.

"Oh Ben, just the person I wanted to see." Rose tells me, making me immediately nervous for the exact reason why.

"R-Really? Why's that?" 

"Well, my friend," Gomez begins. "Rose was discussing earlier the idea of a group meditation session correct? She's asked me to help prepare for it." 

"Oh cool. I'm free right now, do you need any help?."

"That's exactly what I was gonna ask you." Rose confirms. "I was originally gonna help Gomez, but I have to do some patrols. Hopefully find some more information about our situation."

"Oh, okay! Yeah, I'll help you Gomez!" I happily oblige. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't help my friends when they need me, you know?

"Great. I'll get going then. I'll leave it to you two."

Rose leaves us to our own devices and we begin to plan out what we need together.

"Rose and I already have a list of stuff we need. All we have to do is pick a location, retrieve the materials, and set everything up. Is that okay with you?" Gomez asks, as he takes a piece of paper out and reads it contents.

"Sounds good to me. Where did you have in mind for a location?"

"Well, we need a large space for all of us that's well insulated. Are there any rooms like that here?"

Huh. Is there a room like that? A room that's large enough for all of us to fit without problems that also doesn't echo? Well, there goes the Gym, sound practically bounces off of every corner! There's other large rooms though, but which one can absorb sound...?

...Wait!

"The Band Room!"

If Gomez was alarmed by my sudden outburst, he definitely didn't show it. He just continues to analyze his list! "Oh? That room's okay?" 

"Yeah remember? Claus and Ufelia were talking about how there's a rug on the floor. It's perfect since, I'm assuming, we'll be on the floor for the meditating right?"

"You'd be assumption is correct. Good thinking, my friend."

"Thanks! Any time!"

And so, we're off! Gomez leads me to the Storage Room to gather some incense, pillows, and blankets. Apparently, all necessary for the meditation session, I guess.

We make our way to the Band Room and quickly set up the area for the meditation session tonight. It wasn't has complex as I thought it was gonna be honestly, but that's a blessing in itself.

"Thank you very much Benjamin. I wish there was some way I could repay you for your services."

"Oh Gomez, there's no need for that! We're friends! It's the least I could do!"

"Still..."

Gomez begins to rub his chin in contemplation, but suddenly, his eyes light up in an epiphany! 

"I know. How about I give you a massage?"

"Wh-What?"

"As a token of my gratitude, I'll give you a massage. I usually charge a lot of money, but for you, I'll consider your help as payment enough."

Um...how do I reject his offer without sounding like an asshole? Literally no one has seen my body before...

"Gomez, you don't have to do that! Besides, I've never needed one before so-"

"Wait..." Gomez interrupts, his eyebrows high and his eyes scanning my irises. "...You've never had a professional massage?"

"N-No..."

"That's more of a reason for you to get one, my friend. It's the most relaxing experience anyone can ever endure."

"I don't know..."

"Benjamin, I'm the Ultimate Masseur. There's a reason for that. I would never injure you."

Oh no...

"Please, let me do this for you. Please?"

...He's not gonna give up, is he?

"...Fine, but just this once." I submit, immediately regretting my decision.

"Thank you Ben. Wait here while I retrieve some tools." 

I wait for a while until he comes back with a towel and some, I assume, massage oil.

"Now Ben, I know you've never done this before. So, I'm going to do a simple back massage for you. Is that okay?" Gomez asks, very professionally I might add.

"Y-Yeah, I guess so..."

"Now, the first step is you removing your shirt for me. This will allow me to properly access the muscle tissue that needs work."

Ugh, I knew this was coming, but that doesn't mean I was ready for it! 

"Benjamin, we don't have all day..."

With that, I slowly take off my shirt, exposing my hairy, tan flesh. I can't help but feel so embarrassed! I mean, who would ever want to touch the back of the hairiest piece of pork to ever walk this Earth? Gomez eyes my body, examining every crevice, every imperfection with the utmost attention.

"Um, Gomez?"

Gomez continues to scan my body, not taking even a second to recognize my nervousness. "Yes?"

"What are you doing?"

To this, Gomez does move to face me, his body traveling with him as he does.

"I'm assessing where your muscles have the most stress." he replies. "This allows me to give you as much help as I can."

"Oh okay..."

Gomez begins to encircle me once more, the feeling of uneasiness consuming me just as it did when he did it the first time. God I feel so uncomfortable...I know he's the Ultimate Masseur, but I hate when people look at me too long. Like they're a lioness and I'm their prey...

"Alright, I'm about to begin Ben. Lay down on your stomach and remember to be as relaxed as possible. It won't be enjoyable for you if you're not."

I do as I'm told, but instead of being relaxed, I just get more stressed at the possibility that this will be the most painful experience I've ever had in my life! Like, what if he kneads too hard and he paralyzes me?! Or worse of all, what if he hits a pressure point and he kills me all together! I can't die because of a fucking massage! 

I...I can't do this! I can't!

"G-Gomez! Wait! Stop!"

I shoot up off my stomach, my shirt immediately in my hands to cover the front of my body. I inch away from Gomez a bit, but I can feel the undeniable fear written across my face and the threat of tears falling from my eyes.

"What's wrong? Did I say something to trouble you, my friend?" he asks, his voice calm, yet concerned.

"N-No, it's not you, I promise Gomez. I just-"

Gomez places a hand on my shoulder consolingly, his touch carefully soft. "Are you just afraid?"

"Gomez, I tried so hard, believe me! I know you really wanted to give me a massage but-"

"Ben, it's okay."

Huh?

"I-It is?" I can't help but to say, surprised he wasn't offended at my reaction!

"Many people can't just muster up the strength to do something so exposing on the first try." he begins to explain. "It usually takes several times for someone to feel sure enough to let go of their fears. I definitely pushed you to do something you weren't comfortable with and I apologize deeply for that. I hope you'll forgive me."

"N-No, you have nothing to apologize for! It was my own anxieties getting the better of me, you were great!"

"Hm. Maybe you'll be ready for the real thing one day. When you are, it'd be an honor to be your first Benjamin."

"Uh...thanks."

I...don't think he understands what he just said, but I'm not gonna comment on that... I feel like Gomez and I got a little closer today, but can I be too sure? Absolutely not. Hopefully I'll be able to allow him to give me a massage like he wants. One day, it'll happen. I promise!

 

Gomez and I continue to talk about different forms of massages until it's almost time for Lunch, so we begin to head down to the Cafeteria to meet with the others. Once we're near the Cafeteria, I immediately smell the beautiful scents of a concoction of foods which immediately makes my mouth water! But my trans-fixation comes to an end when, at the entrance of the Cafeteria, I see Rose tapping her foot with her arms folded in front of her chest. She can be so intimidating sometimes! Jeez!

"Hey Rose, are you okay?" I ask her.

Rose snaps out of her trance and notices me and Gomez coming towards her. "Oh, you guys finished?" 

"Yes we did." Gomez answers, "It'll be perfect for our meditation session."

"Oh!" I exclaim in realization. "We chose the Band Room, by the way."

Yeah, it's probably important to let Rose know where we're holding it huh?

Rose raises an eyebrow at the fact we chose the Band Room for the meditation session, her face completely unreadable. "Hm, _interesting_ choice, but I'll trust your decision. Come eat you two."

...How come I get the feeling she doesn't really like the choice?

 

At Rose's dismissal, the Gomez and I begin to go to the Kitchen to grab our lunches, but I realize that Rose joins us after our little meeting. Wait did she...? She wouldn't do that...would she? ..I might as well ask, just to be sure...

"Hey Rose." I begin, grabbing her by her arm to slow her down. "You didn't wait for us the entire time, did you?" I ask her cautiously.

"Yes, I did." she answers, emotionless. 

"Did you at least eat first?"

"Yes, of course."

I mentally release a sigh of relief, my nerves washing away with it Thank goodness! I thought she wasn't eating out of nerves like Jane did! I guess I had no-

"I had a cereal bar and a small carton of milk. Plenty to keep me going."

...Well then. I'm not gonna say I spoke too soon, but I'm certainly confused as to why she thinks that's "eating".

"That's it? That'd probably be considered snacking, not really eating lunch..." I suggest to her, still confused as to why she would eat something so minimal.

Rose shrugs before continuing. "I'm used to rationing in the scouts back home. I'm okay with eating less so everyone else can have more food."

"Wait, what?" I ask, baffled by the new information. "Rose, you know you don't have to do that here, right? There's plenty of food here." 

Rose places a hand on my shoulder to stop me from going any further. She gets closer, as to protect our conversation from the others.

"For now, but who's to say Monokuma won't try and starve us as a new motive? I should be prepared for everything and anything."

This...This is getting fucking ridiculous! Does she honestly think he'd do that?!

...Actually he would, but that doesn't mean she has to do that ration shit now! If Monokuma decides to do that, then that's what he does!

"Look, I don't deny that he could and would do that. But there's no telling when and if he'll do that." 

"But what's wrong with being prepared for it?"

"You can do that, but that doesn't mean you can neglect your own needs Rose!"

Rose stands in once place, unmoving and blinking in disbelief. "My...own needs?"

Why...does she seem genuinely confused by that statement? 

...Never mind that for now, I guess.

"Look, I've noticed that ever since we got here, you've always put the group before yourself. I don't want someone to see that as an opportunity to take advantage of your selflessness."

I can feel the hot tears fall silently and sadly across my cheeks and into my beard. I refuse to look at her face, not wanting to seem weak. Not wanting to seem broken. Because I'm not. I'm crying because I care and it's frustrating that your friend won't see how their actions are hurting themselves! 

"You're my friend Rose. I don't want anything to happen to you..."

I begin to look up, only to see Rose's face as still as stone, looking down at the ground.

"Hey Rose are you-?" 

"I see your point, but as the leader, I can't find it in myself to see the worst of people. I have to have hope that there's good in everyone. Even in people like Ufelia and Claus."

"I just don't want my friend to get hurt Rose."

"...I'll take your words into consideration Ben." she concedes, giving me a moment of relief. "But ultimately, I'll do whatever's necessary for the sake of the group. Even if it means I go into a situation where there's a slim chance of survival. As the Ultimate Girl Scout, I must protect my troop."

Well that didn't last long, did it?

"Oh, okay..." 

That's the best I'm gonna get from her at the moment, but at least she said she'll think about what I said. For a second though, I swear I saw a hint of something in her eyes. Hurt? Passion? A combination of both? No matter what, Rose is a freaking mystery. Maybe today I got one out of a million puzzle pieces. At least, I hope anyways...

 

"Hello Bastards and Bastettes!"

 

Rose and I turn around to another grand entrance from Monokuma, our "Headmaster", now wearing a jet pack and flying across the room! On top of that, his stupid hat doesn't even look like it's gonna fall off of his fucking head! How the hell did he manage that?!

"Ugh, it's you. Don't you have somewhere else better to be?" Patty asks him, visibly annoyed by his presence.

Monokuma begins to laugh maniacally, like everything we say is an utter joke. "No silly! Why would I want to be anywhere else?!"

"Of course he'd say that..." Rose mumbles to me, causing me to snicker.

"Mr. Brown! Why are you snickering?! That's my job! Not yours!" Monokuma flies towards me and stops in front of me, hovering in place. "Stay a miserable wet rag like you have been your whole life!"

"Shut up! Leave us alone and maybe die while you're at it. It's the least you can do. " I respond, proud of my clap back!

"Yeah Ben! End him! Crush that bitch!" Topaz cheers from her seat!

"Topaz! Don't make him mad!" Gabriel begs her, panic clear across his face.

"Shut up Gabriel! Let me have my fun!" 

"Be quiet you two! There is no time for that! If you want to fight, fight with Monokuma!" Fatima demands, her stature and presence like a queen's.

Topaz pouts, but sits down and listens to her. I can't help but notice the relief on Gabriel's face, as if Fatima just quelled a dragon ready to strike him.

"As I was saying Mr. Brown, you've hurt my black, twisted heart! How could you?!" he screams, acting like he's been shot through the heart, and apparently I'm to blame? As he slowly floats to the ground in the most obscene way and painfully slow, I can't help but not to care about his feelings. He certainly doesn't care about ours...

"Oh please! We were all thinking that. Brown just had the guts to say it to you. Get over it." Byron adds, now standing behind the Headmaster.

"You know what?!" Monokuma skyrockets from his over acting to Byron's eye level, angry as always. "Just for that, how about I deliver to you ingrates your next delicious motive!"

It's as if an imaginary rug just got pulled out from under me, sending me spiraling down into the depths of despair. The void, never ending. The fear, everlasting. Another motive?! We just finished our Class Trial last night!

"'N-Next motive?!'" Byron asks, his face immediately running cold.

"Are you shitting me?! Why so soon?!" Julian asks as he launches from his seat!

"Yes! That's why I came down here! I need more killings! The last Class Trial was fucking spectacular! I need more drama! More suspense! More lying! MORE DECEIT!!!"

"Can't you do a puzzle instead? That's entertaining too, and a great form of stress relief." Gomez says as if he's offering a swell piece of advice. Like a therapist that thinks that crock of shit tactic will ever work on a patient.

"Nope! Anyways here it is kiddos! Your next motive is sure to make you greedy bitches hungry!" Monokuma lands on a table and pulls out what looks like a contract and a pen. He begins writing on it vigorously, and my fear begins to reach a boiling point! What is he doing?! "It's simple: if you kill and make it past the Class Trial, any debts you or your family owe will be erased from the records! And by any debts, I do mean all of your family's debts! You will be scotch free from everything afflicting your family with stress and turmoil!"

"Ha!" Sherry-Anne exclaims, causing most of us to turn back in shock. "Are you serous?! Like hell anyone's gonna fall for that crock of shit! No one's that desperate."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that Sherry-Anne." Rose tells the animal lover, her monotonous tone adding a sense of foreboding to the statement.

 obnoxiously reacts, her body moving like she's been struck by a grand piano above her. "Huh?! Why not?!"

"Yeah dude, you can't honestly tell us someone's gonna kill someone just because they owe some money to people!" Monica adds, unable to see the problem that's clearly there.

"Are we forgetting about the last time? No one thought someone would be tempted by the motive. But when we least expected it, we were betrayed by one of our most beloved members. So we don't know how the motive will effect those around you. He obviously chose this motive for a reason..." 

"Exactamundo Rosemary! So with that tidbit of info, bye bye suckers! Happy killing!"

 

When Monokuma leaves, he leaves behind a feeling of dread among us. Another motive? And I hate to admit it, but it's a damn good motive too. This world revolves around money, so anyone could take the bait! I look around at my friends, only to notice a particular duo missed the announcement!

"Hey, where's Ufelia and Claus?" I ask everyone.

"Huh, I didn't even notice. How strange..." Thomas says full of curiosity.

"Is it? They  _did_ express their disinterest in the group this morning. I wouldn't be surprised if they were avoiding us." Byron confesses.

"Ugh! What a bunch'a big-headed assholes!" Topaz slams her fists into the table in a fit of rage!

"I second that, without any of the cursing." Fatima adds, her frustration coming off as cute as a Chihuahua barking at a German Shepherd.

"Let's pay them no mind everyone." Rose tells everyone. "If they don't want to participate in our activities, it's their loss. I just hope they can take care of themselves."

"Yeah, me too." I can't help but agree.

I'm honestly really worried. Our group is falling apart! It's not good to have not just one, but two people separating themselves from the group like this! They'll get picked off easily and there's no telling if it's from someone else or by each other! Sadly, I wouldn't put it past Ufelia, but I still have faith in Claus. There's something in him that's telling him that his sister is wrong! I know there is! He wouldn't have reacted the way he did if he was fully on her side! I truly feel like he can change his ways for the better, and we'll be able to get out of here! Together! However, if there's a choice of leaving the twin's behind or convincing them to co-operate with us, I'm afraid at this point the choice is very clear. I just hope it doesn't come to that...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know that feeling when you know how a chapter's supposed to get, yet whenever you write it, you can't make it the way you envision it? Yeah, me too. Anyways, thank you for reading! And be sure to comment who you want Free Time Events from! It'll help a lot!


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